Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce

An excellent chunky pasta sauce with beef, lots of vegetables and tons of flavor. In Italy it is traditionally used to dress tagliatelle and may also be used to prepare "lasagne alla bolognese". Customarily the preparation of this sauce takes many hours of slow simmering and stirring over the stove, but here the slow cooker really helps with the tedium by doing most of the work for you. The time spent slowly simmering really makes this sauce special, so don't skip it! But fear not, it keeps in the fridge for up to 10 days, and freezes very well.

Ingredients

Directions

Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large, heavy pot like a Dutch oven. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and cook gently for 5-8 minutes, stirring often. Do not brown them. Sprinkle a little salt over the veggies as they cook. When the vegetables are soft, stir in the tomato paste and allow everything to cook for 3-4 minutes, again, stirring often. When the tomato paste begins to turn the color of brick, add the ground meat and the broth. Bring to a simmer. Allow this to cook down over medium-low heat. Take your time here and resist the urge to do this over higher heat. Stir from time to time. When the liquid has mostly evaporated, add the wine and repeat the process. When that has mostly evaporated transfer to the slow cooker. Add the milk, nutmeg, salt & black pepper, and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve over your choice of pasta.

Reviews

☆☆☆

Great recipe! More 8 than 6 servings in my hands, and generous ones for that. I used a 50/50 mix of pork and beef (“meatloaf mix”), and crushed tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes. Simmered for six hours. I added another half cup of beef broth halfway through. Came out perfectly.

fuchsr

☆☆☆☆☆

Delicious! I made this on the stove top instead of slow cooker...simmered the sauce for an hour. Came out great!

Valerie411

☆☆☆☆☆

I'm thrilled that you guys enjoyed this! Aimeelady, you are correct. This IS an authentic Italian dish, & written down exactly as a lovely Italian lady proudly dictated it to me. And with good reason--this recipe has been handed down in her family for a startling FIVE generations! While it would make her weep to even THINK of "doctoring up" this recipe or using bottled pasta sauce instead of fresh ingredients, I do understand that like most Traditional European fare, it might not taste like what an American palate is used to. Americanized cuisine has become the standard to many, so unfortunately many traditional recipes are abandoned in favor of the heavily processed & stylized menus found at Olive Garden & Panda Express. I encourage home cooks to give this beautiful heritage sauce a try, and if you still find yourself needing a heavy dose of herbage & salt, add them...but understand that it is no longer a true Bolognese sauce. Also, a word of advice--if you ever go to an Italian restaurant in Italy--Don't EVER ask for parmesan cheese or crushed red pepper! Yes, they ARE staples at Italian-American eateries but ask most resident Italians what they think about the use of parmesan or red pepper flakes on pizza or pasta and you’re likely to be met with a blank stare, or worse, be laughed at!

Firebyrd

☆☆☆☆☆

The best and easiest recipe for a darn great Bolognese sauce. It just dont get more traditional than this. But If your used to Olive Garden for Italian u might just dump in a jar of Prego instead of tomatoes n wine, just sayin cos this recipe is authentic and not as salty.

Aimeelady

☆☆☆

A little bland. I had to doctor it up.

mjh27

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