The best bolognese sauces are slow-cooked, so go find that slow cooker I know you have! Here’s the recipe for the best slow cooker bolognese sauce ever.
This recipe for warm and wonderful slow cooker bolognese sauce is (along with beef barley soup and chocolate pudding cake) the reason I love and adore my slow cooker.
Yes, whether you have a traditional slow cooker or a new fangled Instant Pot that does both pressure cooking and slow cooking,
I promise you that if you will just drag yours out of the attic or basement or garage or wherever you have it and make this sauce, you will be a believer!
Now with most things that have to do with my slow cooking, this recipe makes way too much to eat in one sitting, unless you are feeding an entire Boy Scout troop.
(Side note: that Eagle Scout on the lower right is the Southern daughter’s best friend, and he is also getting married. Even though I just took his Eagle Scout pictures YESTERDAY).
Anyway, large quantities of the best slow cooker bolognese sauce ever is why they invented those disposable Gladware containers – just scoop the leftovers into those babies, pop them in the freezer, and so long as you have pasta in the house somewhere you will be all set for future dinners when you are faced with a ravenous family and your mind is a blank.
In the meantime, this is a fantastic, rich, meaty sauce that cooks away all day long in the slow cooker and makes your kitchen smell like paradise.
There is just the tiniest bit of prep involved (browning the meat), and then the whole shebang gets dropped in the reliable old slow cooker, and your work is done for the day.
Some pasta, a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese, and you are in dinner heaven. Here’s a little video to show you just how easy this slow cooked delicousness is…
And speaking of pasta, this delectable sauce works with whatever pasta you have around. Sometimes I like it with those gorgeous wide pappardelle noodles in the picture above.
Sometimes I like it with good old spaghetti. Sometimes (shhhh…) I just spoon it out and eat it all by its delicious self.
So go find that slow cooker now. I know you have one somewhere. And while you’re at it, tell me your favorite thing to cook in the slow cooker!
Print
Best Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce Ever!
Prep Time: 15 minutes- Cook Time: 8 hours, 10 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop and Slow Cooker
Cuisine: Italian
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
The best bolognese sauces are slow-cooked, so go find that slow cooker I know you have! Here’s the recipe for the best slow cooker bolognese sauce ever.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes, drained
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook beef in large skillet until browned.
- Drain and transfer to 5 quart slow cooker. Stir in all remaining ingredients, mix well.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Serve over your favorite pasta. Happy sigh.
Notes
This recipe works with all kinds of pasta! My favorites are wide pappardelle noodles, and good old fashioned spaghetti!
Updated from a previously published Framed Cooks post…now with video! Wheee!
Hi there! I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN! My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too. And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!
Wow! How simple is that! Great way to feed a crowd..and/or a hungry family.
Woah. Your spaghetti sauce looks fantastic. I just made spaghetti and meatballs the other day (and blogged about it), but next time I have a hankering for this, I will throw everything in my slow cooker. YUMMY!
Thank you for posting this recipe. I can't wait to try it and I too love my slow cooker but don't make too much in it because of the limited recipes I have that I like. This one looks really really good and I am so looking forward to making it and making the house smell good while it cooks.
Hi,
I tried your bolognese sauce recipe and can report that it is INDEED delicious!!! My entire family enjoyed it and my daughter who does not eat 'red sauce' loved it. :) Thank you!!
Sharon
I made this for our Christmas dinner (turkey feast was Christmas Eve). Anyway, the family LOVED it! One comment was who needs pasta when the sauce is so delish?? Thanks for sharing- this one is a keeper, for sure!
Marnie
I just made this today… it's awesome! I was a little worried about the 'slow cooker' thing seeing as i'm often not happy with anything in the slow cooker. Make it, you won't regret it.
I just made this. It is awesome! So easy, I'll be making this all winter!
Making a batch of this now to for my son to take back to college.
Im making this right now! I promise to do a link back from my site http://theremedycook.blogspot.com come on by sometime!
I couldn't believe this could be made in my slow cooker, but it definitely was!! AND – it was perfect, the flavor was awesome from simmering so long. Definitely one I will be making again!
This looks great! I just got into really using my crock pot and have been hunting for recipes to use. I think I will have to try this one soon.
Can you please share
the recipe for your Chocolate Pudding Cake?
I promise as soon as I can get a decent picture of it I will…it's been a tough one to photograph but I'm working on it!
I love how you are not stingy with the garlic :)
You can never ever be stingy with garlic! :)
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over
again. Anyway, just wanted to say fantastic
blog!
I’m so sorry! (Especially because I know I would have loved reading it!) But one way or the other – thank you!! :)
I like your recipe it very close to the one I make, but I saute my onion with the meat and I also add fresh mushrooms. Always cooker it in my slow cooked all day on low. I do cook the beef in large skillet until browned with the oinons, mushrooms then drain and transfer to slow cooker
There’s nothing like sauce cooked all day in the slow cooker, right? Thanks for your suggestions. :)
Looks yummy going to make it tomorrow but I only have a 4 qt crock pot. Do you think if I make 3/4 of the recipe it will fit. Also how many servings do you think it will yield. Going to feed about 5 hungry EMTs.
Looks yummy plan to make this tomorrow. But I only have a 4qt crock pot do you think if I make 3/4 of the recipe it will fit? Also how many servings will this yield?
This makes a lot – enough for 8-10 servings depending on how big the servings are. I think you might want to cut it in half just to be safe! :)
I thought bolognese sauce had carrots and celery in it. This isn’t like any bolognese sauce I’ve seen. It sounds like it is a good spaghetti sauce, but is misleading if you are looking for a true bolognese.
Hi Dianna! Technically a bolognese is a sauce that is slow cooked and mostly meat (as opposed to mostly tomato), and you are right that many of them have carrots and celery and onion in them. This is definitely a sauce that is heavier on the meat than the tomato, but it’s also true that it’s not traditional…starting with the fact that I am using a slow cooker! If you are looking for a fabulous and totally traditional bolognese, here’s a fabulous recipe from the wonderful Marcella Hazan. Happy cooking! http://leitesculinaria.com/84057/recipes-marcella-hazan-bolognese-sauce.html
Sin duda uno de mis favoritos. Amo esta receta.
★★★★★
Muchas gracias! Es uno de los favoritos de mi familia también.
All that sugar?? MAJORAN??? Dried herbs… This is not very italian
★
Oh yes, this is definitely an Irish girl’s take on Bolognese sauce! But if sure tastes good. :) And I’m sure you can leave the sugar out, although I find it mellows the tartness of the tomatoes a bit. One way or the other, thanks for your feedback and have a lovely day!