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Slow cooker bolognese, made hearty, thick, and delicious in the crock pot
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Slow Cooker Bolognese

The perfect slow cooker bolognese sauce, that is rich and hearty, thick and flavorful, and packed with beef and pork. This is the recipe you will be passing down generation to generation.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time8 hours 30 minutes
Total Time8 hours 40 minutes
Course: Main
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: bolognese, pasta sauce
Servings: 14
Calories: 375kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • ½ onion minced
  • 1 carrot chopped fine
  • ½ celery rib chopped fine
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 ½ pounds ground beef chuck
  • 1 ½ pounds ground pork
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 3 cups dry white wine
  • 56 ounces whole tomatoes 2 cans, blend in a blender until smooth
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Instructions

  • In a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook until softened but not browned, about 6 minutes.
  • Next, stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Add the meat, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up the meat until crumbled into tiny pieces and browned. About 5 minutes.
  • Add in the milk, bring it to a vigorous simmer, and cook 10-15 minutes until the milk evaporates. Only clear fat remains, this is a good thing.
  • Add the wine, tomatoes, and thyme.
  • Cover with the lid, and increase the temperature to high heat and bring to a boil.
  • Once boiling, remove the lid and transfer to a slow cooker set to high.
  • Cover the slow cooker with a lid and bring back to a boil. Then remove the lid, and let the sauce simmer until the sauce is very thick, 7 to 8 hours.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Notes

Steam rises from the sauce as it cooks, so place slow cooker on a counter with no cabinetry overhead.
If you need more than the 7 or 8 hours of cooking time, set the lid halfway off the slow cooker rather than removing it completely, and then simmer for 10 to 11 hours.
Freeze leftover sauce in airtight containers for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 121mg | Potassium: 704mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1895IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 2mg