Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce

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This Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce is the best classic meat sauce ever! This rich and deep in flavor pasta sauce is cooked in a crock pot, served over fettuccine and topped with Parmesan. 

Serve with Easy Garlic Bread or my Easy Focaccia Bread and you are in for a feast that didn’t take much effort at all.

That’s exactly what this is – comfort food at it’s best. This pasta sauce recipe will change your spaghetti game and you will love it! It’s perfect for those days when pasta just seems boring and you need a big bowl of comfort food. We are bringing spaghetti back to our weekly dinner menus with this Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce. A new family favorite! A steaming bowl of spaghetti with rich, slow cooker bolognese sauce is bound to make your soul and belly happy. Planning a relaxing weekend? This recipe is perfect for it! Minimal prep time and the magic happens in your slow cooker. Yes, please!

Ingredients

• olive oil
• garlic cloves
• red onion
• carrots
• celery
• 1 lb ground beef
• crushed tomatoes
• half and half
• tomato sauce
• salt and pepper
• Italian seasoning

Instructions

• Saute garlic and onion in a skillet for 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook for a few minutes. Place sauteed vegetables in a 5-quart slow cooker.
• In the same skillet, cook beef until no longer pink. Stir in half and half and tomato sauce and cook for about 4 minutes. Pour mixture over vegetables in crockpot.
• Add crushed tomatoes and all of the seasonings to the slow cooker. Stir well.
• Cook sauce on LOW setting for 6 to 8 hours.

Can I freeze this sauce?

Yes! You can make the sauce, cool completely and place in freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw the sauce in the fridge and heat up in a pan.

Best tips

• veggies: Don’t let the carrots and celery throw you off. It is quite common for these veggies to be used in pasta sauce by Italian cooks, or so I have been told. I love the sweetness the carrots add to the sauce. The celery blends perfectly with onions and garlic.
• garlic: Feel free to amp up the amount of garlic in this recipe. I used 3 cloves but I love it with 5 cloves even more. That’s a personal preference. I just love garlic in my pasta dishes!
• beef: When browning the beef, let it cook until you see little bits at the bottom of the pan – they have a ton of flavor
• half and half: Adding half and half and one can of tomato sauce adds more flavor and richness to the dish.

More homemade sauce recipes:

• Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
• 5-Minute Pizza Sauce
• Homemade Alfredo Sauce
• Instant Pot Spaghetti

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

5 from 9 votes

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Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

6 hrs

Total Time

6 hrs 15 mins

 

This Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce is the best classic meat sauce ever! This rich and deep in flavor pasta sauce is cooked in a crock pot, served over fettuccine and topped with Parmesan. 

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bolognese sauce, slow cooker bolognese

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 307 kcal

Author: Anna

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 3/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 carrots diced
• 2 celery stalks diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 4 oz tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, heat up olive oil. Add garlic and onion. Saute for 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Place sauteed vegetables in a 5 quart slow cooker. 

3. To the same saucepan, add beef and cook until done. Brown over medium heat, stirring often and breaking the meat. Cook until brown bites are visible on the bottom of the pan. Add half and half and cook 2 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Add tomato sauce and cook the mixture for 3 minutes. Place in the slow cooker, next to vegetables.

4. Add crushed tomatoes and seasoning to slow cooker. Stir everything together. Cook on LOW setting for 6 to 8 hours. 

5. Serve over cooked spaghetti or fettuccine pasta. Top with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley. 

Recipe Notes

1. Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
2. Feel free to use ground turkey in place of beef.
3. To freeze: cool the sauce completely, then place in freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 6 months.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 307 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 61mg20%

Sodium 552mg24%

Potassium 815mg23%

Carbohydrates 16g5%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 3895IU78%

Vitamin C 17.2mg21%

Calcium 109mg11%

Iron 3.7mg21%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe was originally published on January 18th, 2017 and updated on November 12th, 2019.