Isn’t there something so comforting about a big bowl of pasta piled high with delicious meat sauce? Bolognese Sauce aka Meat Sauce is such an ultimate comfort food so my goal was to make it easier by making it Crockpot Bolognese.

So I started first making Bolognese because my husband would ask for it all of the time, and I would use my handy dutch oven on the stovetop. Not that it is a hard dish to make on the stove top but after a few times of making it I knew it could be done easier in the crockpot. So I adapted it to the crockpot and pure magic happened! My husband thinks it is actually tastier in the crockpot, woohoo!

The crockpot makes this so good because bolognese is already a sauce that should be made at a low temperature and simmered slowly, so basically a perfect contender for the crockpot.

To get it ready you just brown the meat, mince the vegetables, and add everything else to the crockpot and let it simmer away. Dinner is then as easy as boiling some pasta and making a side salad! Crockpot Bolognese has become a staple in our house and is not leaving our meal rotation any time soon.

TIPS & TRICKS:

• The recipe calls for the vegetables to be minced in a food processor, which makes prep fast but you can mince the vegetables by hand or a chopper if you don’t have a food processor, the vegetable pieces might stick out in the sauce a little more and prep might take a tad longer

• I would recommend cooking this only on low, the beauty of bolognese sauce is to have it simmered low and slowly. Also I imagine this could cook longer than 6 hours (6 hours was the longest I tested it) by adding additional liquid, 1/2ish cup of water/broth/wine could probably let this cook in the slow cooker for up to 8 hours if you are wanting it to cook while at work (this is my best guess, someone let me know if they try it)

Yield: 6 servings

Crockpot Bolognese

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simmered slowly in the crockpot this bolognese is made without standing over a stove for hours at a time

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 small onion
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (4-5 cloves)
• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 1 14.5 ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt*
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions

1. In a skillet cook ground beef over medium heat until brown and fully cooked. Drain access fat. Add cooked ground beef to crockpot. 
2. Peel carrot and onion. Add carrot, celery, and onion to a food processor (and garlic if it isn't already minced). Process for about 10-15 second until finely minced. 
3. Add minced vegetables to crockpot. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, sugar, salt, and bay leaves (plus garlic if not added with the vegetables) to the crockpot. Stir the mixture until everything is combined.
4. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours**.
5. Remove bay leaves before serving. Serve over your favorite pasta and garnish with cheese.

Notes

*I like to use 'no salt added' diced tomatoes and tomato sauce so sometimes I will add a little more salt, but not too much, salt can always be added at the end of cooking if your sauce needs it.

**I would recommend cooking this only on low, the beauty of bolognese sauce is to have it simmered low and slowly. Also I imagine this could cook longer than 6 hours (6 hours was the longest I tested it) by adding additional liquid, 1/2ish cup of water/broth/wine could probably let this cook in the slow cooker for up to 8 hours if you are wanting it to cook while at work (this is my best guess, someone let me know if they try it). 

Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 248.44Total Fat: 15.76gSaturated Fat: 5.83gSodium: 596.78mgCarbohydrates: 12.59gFiber: 4.49gSugar: 7.82gProtein: 15.37g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment below on the blog or share a photo with me tag @the_schmidty_wife! Can't wait to see what you made!

Peace & Love

Lauren, The Schmidty Wife

P.S. Looking for more crockpot recipes? Check out my Crockpot Creamy Pumpkin Chili or my Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken.

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