Most people that are looking for a slow cooker recipe don’t want to chop, saute, and brown before they walk out the door to start their day, so my goal was to make this sauce as easy to prepare as possible while still getting that rich amazing flavor that you expect from a good bolognese and I have done just that!
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce
4 slices bacon, chopped
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
1 large carrot, cut into large chunks
1 large stalk of celery, cut into large chunks
1 yellow onion, rough chopped
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Fresh ground nutmeg
¾ cup dry red wine
⅔ cup heavy cream
2 (28- oz) cans crushed tomatoes
1 lbItalian sausage
1 lblean ground beef
Pasta, for serving
Method
- Combine the garlic, carrot, celery, and onion, in a food processor, and pulse until the vegetables are finely minced.
- Cook the bacon, in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, until the fat renders. Add vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, thyme and nutmeg, and continue cooking to allow the tomato paste to warm, about 2 minutes. Add the wine, making sure to pull up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Transfer to the slow cooker. Stir in the cream and tomatoes. Mix the sausage and ground beef together in a bowl, using your hands, until combined. Spread small amounts of the meat mixture evenly into the slow cooker, by breaking it apart with your hands, avoiding any large clumps. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours. Skim the accumulated grease from the surface and use a potato masher to make sure all of the meat is broken into small bits.
- Serve over cooked pasta.
