This slow cooker bolognese is an incredibly delicious sauce that will have you going back for seconds.
By the time this sauce is ready, it will be loaded with lots of delicious flavors and have a lovely aroma. It is best served as part of a dish, such as with some freshly cooked pasta. I love to also serve it with a side of homemade garlic bread.
If you have decided to cook some pasta to go with this sauce, follow the instructions on the packet for cooking the pasta correctly. I do not recommend adding the pasta straight into the slow cooker as it tends to stick together and make the sauce incredibly thick.
I find that this sauce will typically feed six to eight people with the addition of some pasta. You can also cook some side dishes to make the food go further. Lastly, you can double or triple the recipe if you need to feed a crowd.
Leftovers and Storing the Sauce
The sauce will only last in the refrigerator for a few days, so make sure you plan on using it as soon as possible.
Alternatively, you can freeze the sauce and keep it for several months. So, it is the perfect sauce to have in the freezer for a quick and easy meal. Simply reheat in the microwave whenever you need it.
The leftovers for this dish are undoubtedly worth keeping, so make sure you do not throw them out. They are perfect for lunch the next day as you can quickly just reheat them in the microwave.
Serving Ideas for Bolognese Sauce
While the most common combination for bolognese is with pasta, there are many other ways you can use the sauce. Below are a few ideas on what you can do.
I love to use this sauce as part of a topping on pizza. I typically use it as the sauce on the pizza base and simply finish it with a generous amount of cheese. It is super simple and tastes incredibly delicious.
Nachos is a dish where a good bolognese works very nicely. Instead of salsa and taco chicken, I use this sauce and lots of delicious cheddar cheese. I highly recommend giving it a try.
Bolognese is certainly one of those great slow cooker ground beef recipes that you can use in a wide variety of tasty dishes. Feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this page if you have a combination that you would love to share.
If you love to see how to make food, then be sure to check out the video below. I take you through all the steps to making this delicious bolognese in the slow cooker. Alternatively, there is a full written recipe underneath the video.
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g (1.1 lb) ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 250 g (8.8 oz) mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tsp garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp basil, dried
- 1 tsp oregano, dried
- 800 g (1.8 lb) diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup red wine
Instructions
- Firstly, fry the ground beef in a frypan over high heat. Once browned, drain and transfer to the slow cooker.
- In the slow cooker, add all the ingredients and mix to ensure that it is all combined.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve & Enjoy.
Recipe Tips
- As with any good pasta, some parmesan and fresh herbs make for the best garnish.
- The sugar is optional but helps reduce the acidity of the tomatoes.
- I used dried herbs in this dish, but they can easily be replaced with fresh herbs. You should not need to adjust any of the quantities to make up for this change.
- You can use either red or white wine without making a significant impact on the overall dish. Personally, I try to stick to red wine, but sometimes there isn’t any around to use for cooking. You can leave the wine out altogether, but you will miss out on that extra flavor it brings to the dish.
- If you love your bolognese extra saucy, then feel free to add another can of diced tomatoes. Be careful not to go overboard as you do not want too much tomato and not enough beef.
- Cook the sauce on high for four hours if you need it faster.
Equipment I use
I use a 5.5L (6 Quart) slow cooker (Amazon | Walmart) for all the recipes that I have on this website unless specified. If you have a smaller or larger slow cooker, then you might need to adjust the ingredients.
Nutrition Information
The information above is an estimate generated by an online nutrition calculator.
Posted on , under Dinner, Gluten-Free, Ground Beef, Italian, Pasta.
More Slow Cooker Pasta Recipes
There are so many different types of pasta sauces that you can cook in the slow cooker.
If you are looking for a creamier sauce, then you should check out the delicious beef stroganoff. It has amazing tender pieces of beef in a creamy sauce. It is certainly a pasta worth trying out.
To go one step further, you should give the lasagna in a slow cooker a try. It is a fair bit of work, but it cooks to be super delicious and well worth the effort.
If you have any variations or anything else to say regarding this slow cooker bolognese, be sure to leave a comment below.
Second time making the in a few days. The family loved it! Doubled the recipe, glad I did because the kids come back for more. Thank you for the recipe🌻