Slow Cooker Bolognese

Create an irresistible Slow Cooker Bolognese that is full of rich flavor and has a silky consistency. No one will believe you didn’t spend all day at the stove making this hearty, delicious sauce!

In Italian culture, the “Sunday Sauce” is a rich, meaty sauce that you spend all day preparing on Sunday to enjoy throughout the week. Capture the feel of a slow-cooked Sunday meal with this slow cooker bolognese recipe. It’s full of the same delicious ingredients, like beef, pork, tomatoes, garlic, and milk, without any of the extra work or constant stirring. This is sure to be your family’s new favorite sauce!

If you like slow cooker recipes that warm the soul and feed the belly, try this Sausage Tortellini Soup, creamy Chicken Alfredo, or my Easy Vegetable Soup!

Ingredients

• Ground Beef and Pork: Beef and pork give this rich sauce its meaty flavor. Brown them to lock in the rich flavor before adding it to the slow cooker. The high fat content of the pork gives the sauce a more silky texture and adds a greater depth of flavor.
• Yellow Onion: Onions release a natural sugar as they cook, which helps sweeten the crock pot bolognese. They also balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Finely chop the onions so they disappear into the sauce.
• Carrots: Just like onions, carrots help sweeten the sauce and balance the acidity from the tomatoes while also enhancing the flavor. Finely dice or shred the carrots so they contribute to the texture of the sauce. 
• Celery: The final aromatic component that works with the onion and carrots to sweeten and balance the sauce. Finely dice two stalks of celery to add to your bolognese. 
• Tomato Paste: A quality tomato paste is a necessity for a flavorful bolognese. Tomato paste is a concentrated form of tomatoes with a robust savory flavor. It also acts as a thickening agent for the sauce.
• Tomato Sauce: Give your Sunday sauce a vibrant red color and more tomato flavor with a canned or jarred tomato sauce.
• Canned Diced Tomatoes: Canned tomatoes have a consistent quality and texture, as well as a concentrated flavor. Finely diced canned tomatoes are best for this bolognese recipe.
• Beef Broth: Enhance the rich, meaty flavor of the sauce and add more liquid for slow cooking with a quality beef broth.
• Garlic: No bolognese is complete without the robust, sharp flavor of garlic. Mince fresh garlic, or use jarred garlic to capture as much flavor as possible.
• Seasonings: Every Italian recipe needs Italian seasoning. Use a prepackaged Italian seasoning or create your own with oregano, basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. 
• Milk: The lactic acid in milk is a natural tenderizer, so it helps break down the meat and gives it a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It also balances the acidity of the tomatoes and makes the sauce creamier.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Use Wine to Enhance the Flavor: Red wine enhances the flavor of any tomato-based sauce because it adds richness and acidity. The alcohol breaks down the fats in meat, making it more tender, and releasing the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Experiment with Different Meats: This slow cooker bolognese sauce is delicious with a large variety of different meats. Try it with different types of Italian sausage or add a fatty smoked meat like bacon or pancetta. You can also cut down on the red meat by using ground chicken or turkey.
• Skip Browning: Make this recipe a true “dump” dinner and skip browning the meat. The sauce will be slightly less rich and robust, but it will still be delicious, and it eliminates extra work for you.
• Add More Vegetables: Sneak some more vegetables into your pasta dinner by adding them to the sauce. Finely diced mushrooms, peppers, or squash add more savory flavor and disappear into the thick tomato gravy. Spinach is another great vegetable that pairs well with tomato sauce.

How to Make Slow Cooker Bolognese

Capture the feeling of enjoying a delicious pasta sauce that’s been slowly simmering all day with this easy crock pot bolognese sauce. It has all of the flavor of an Italian grandmother’s sauce without all of the work.

1. Step 1: Brown the Meat. Cook the ground beef and ground pork in a skillet over medium-high heat with some olive oil until the outside is completely browned. Once it's cooked, drain the meat and add it to your slow cooker.

2. Step 2: Add the Other Ingredients. Add the onion, carrots, celery, tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic, beef broth, and seasonings to the crockpot. Stir to combine the ingredients with the meat.

3. Step 3: Let the Sauce Simmer. Cover with the lid and cook the crock pot bolognese sauce on high for 3-4 hours or for 7-8 hours on low.

4. Step 4: Add the Milk. Once the slow cooker bolognese sauce is finished cooking, slowly pour in the milk and stir it into the sauce. You add the milk last to keep it from curdling in the sauce.

Storage Directions 

• Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bolognese is excellent for freezing too. Let it cool overnight and then store it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
• Reheating: Reheat bolognese in the microwave on medium heat for 30-60 second intervals until it is heated through. It tastes even better reheated on the stove over medium-low heat! If you’re reheating from frozen, let it thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before heating it.
• Make Ahead: Prepare your bolognese the night before and add all of the ingredients to the crock pot. Then place the pot insert in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, pop it in the crock pot and let it simmer throughout the day.

Serving Suggestions

This slow cooker bolognese cooks low and slow, which deepens the flavor, gives the sauce a silky texture, and makes the meat tender. This is sure to become your family’s favorite meal any day of the week! 

Pair this bolognese with your favorite pasta or switch it up for other sides. No matter what you serve it with, everyone will love it!

• Bolognese sauce is traditionally served with long, wide, egg-based noodles like tagliatelle or pappardelle. However, thick rigatoni tubes or spiral-shaped fusilli are great for holding more sauce. The best pasta for bolognese is your favorite pasta!
• Serve this rich tomato sauce over garlic mashed potatoes or slow cooker baked potatoes for a different flavor and consistency than pasta. Don’t forget a side of fresh focaccia bread to soak up any extra sauce!
• Save your bolognese to use later as the sauce for crock pot stuffed shells, crock pot spaghetti and meatballs, or in a crock pot lasagna soup.