Slow Cooker Bolognese
An easy slow cooker bolognese with beef mince, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrot and herbs. Browning the mince gives the sauce extra flavour, then it cooks for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Perfect with spaghetti and brilliant for leftovers.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 288kcal
Equipment
- Slow cooker or Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon of Olive oil for the vegetables
- 1 teaspoon of Olive oil for the beef
- 1 Onion peeled and diced
- 6 Mushrooms diced
- 1 Carrot peeled and diced
- 3 Garlic cloves crushed
- 500 g of Lean beef mince
- 800 g of Chopped tomatoes canned
- 3 tablespoons of Tomato puree (tomato paste)
- 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar
- 1 Vegetable stock cube use a certified gluten-free stock cube if required
- 75 ml of Red wine
- 1 tablespoon of Dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon of Dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables: Finely dice 1 Onion, 6 Mushrooms and 1 Carrot and crush 3 Garlic cloves.
- Soften the vegetables: Heat 1 teaspoon of Olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion, mushrooms, carrot and garlic and cook gently for about 3 minutes.
- Brown the beef mince: Remove the vegetables from the pan and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of Olive oil.Add 500 g of Lean beef mince and cook for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up well with a wooden spoon or fork. You want small pieces of mince rather than large clumps.
- Add everything to the slow cooker: Add the softened vegetables and browned beef to the slow cooker.Pour in 800 g of Chopped tomatoes, then add 3 tablespoons of Tomato puree, 2 tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar, 75 ml of Red wine (if using), 1 Vegetable stock cube (crumbled), 1 tablespoon of Dried oregano, 1 tablespoon of Dried basil, ¼ teaspoon of Fine sea salt and ½ teaspoon of Ground black pepper.Stir everything together.
- Slow cook: Cook your bolognese in the slow cooker for 8 hours on LOW or 4 hours on HIGH.
Keeping the vegetables fairly small means they soften properly and become part of the sauce rather than staying chunky.
You are not trying to completely cook them at this stage - just soften them slightly and start building flavour.
If your mince releases a lot of fat or water, drain off the excess before adding it to the slow cooker.
Slow cookers do vary, so use the cooking time as a guide. The finished sauce should be thick and rich and the vegetables should be completely tender.
Notes
- Break the mince up really well while browning so you don't end up with large lumps in the finished sauce.
- Finely chop the vegetables. The smaller they are, the better they melt into the bolognese.
- Don't add water with the stock cube. Slow cookers need less added liquid than hob recipes because very little evaporates.
- For the richest flavour, use the LOW setting when time allows.
- Taste before serving. Tomatoes, stock cubes and Parmesan all vary in saltiness, so it is better to adjust the seasoning at the end.
- Cook the pasta separately rather than leaving it in the slow cooker for hours.
- Save some pasta water before draining your spaghetti. A small splash helps loosen the sauce and makes it cling beautifully to the pasta.
Nutrition
Serving: 1portion (no pasta) | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 707mg | Potassium: 1135mg | Fibre: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2875IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 140mg | Iron: 7mg
See this recipe on the site by scanning this QR code:
