Welcome to the ultimate comfort food experience! This exquisitely rich and classic pasta sauce, a long-standing family favorite, has been thoughtfully adapted for your slow cooker, making it easier than ever to bring authentic Italian flavors to your dinner table. There’s truly nothing quite like a hearty Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese to provide warmth and solace on a chilly evening or a busy weeknight. This recipe is not only incredibly simple to prepare, but it also freezes beautifully, making it an ideal choice for meal prepping and future busy nights.
This recipe was developed exclusively for Holland House Cooking Wines. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.
The cooler weather is finally starting to grace us, bringing with it the perfect excuse to dust off our slow cookers and dive into some cherished fall and winter dinner traditions. While my trusty slow cooker is a year-round kitchen hero, helping me keep my kitchen cool during scorching summer days, it truly shines as the undisputed workhorse for preparing comforting, deeply flavored meals as the temperatures drop. There’s an unparalleled ease and joy that comes from walking into your home at the end of a long day, greeted by the inviting aroma of a delicious, slow-cooked meal patiently waiting for you. If you, like me, find yourself working from home, this hearty, irresistibly aromatic Bolognese sauce will undoubtedly have you eagerly watching the clock all day long. Dinner simply can’t come soon enough when something this incredibly delicious is bubbling away, promising a culinary reward!
Bolognese is much more than just a meat sauce; it’s a revered traditional Italian ragù, celebrated for its complex flavor profile and luxurious texture. This classic sauce boasts a delightful consistency that is simultaneously thick and wonderfully silky-smooth, offering a taste experience that is tangy, profoundly savory, and infused with rich herbaceous notes. While some traditionalists prefer to simmer in finely chopped carrots and celery for an even greater depth of flavor (known as a soffritto), I wanted to keep today’s recipe as straightforward yet scrumptious as possible. Since these ingredients aren’t always readily available in every kitchen, I’ve opted for simplicity without compromising on the spectacular taste that makes Bolognese a timeless favorite.
Are you ready to twirl your fork into a generous bowl of this saucy, irresistible goodness? Let’s make some magic in the kitchen!
One of the many advantages of this Slow Cooker Bolognese recipe is its generous yield. This recipe is designed to produce a substantial double batch of sauce, effortlessly feeding 8-10 hungry dinner guests, making it perfect for entertaining or large family gatherings. Alternatively, for those focused on efficient meal planning, you can easily freeze the extra sauce in smaller, individual portions or larger family-sized containers for future use. A little foresight in the kitchen can be a tremendous time-saver, allowing you to enjoy a comforting, homemade meal with minimal effort on those incredibly busy evenings. Imagine: simply boil some spaghetti, gently warm your defrosted Bolognese sauce, and within minutes, you have a belly-filling, satisfying meal with remarkably few dishes to clean up afterward. It’s a true dinner win in every sense! This make-ahead strategy ensures you always have a delicious, nutritious option on hand, reducing the temptation for less healthy takeout.
Now, a crucial note regarding the preparation of your beef, onions, and garlic: it is absolutely essential to cook and brown them before adding them to your slow cooker. This step, while seemingly minor, is non-negotiable for achieving the best flavor and texture in your Bolognese. Trust me on this vital point!
When I first ventured into making slow-cooked sauces with ground meat, I, like many others, initially assumed that adding the raw, uncooked meat directly to the slow cooker would suffice. The result, I quickly discovered, was far from ideal. The ground meat essentially “melted” into the sauce, creating a mealy, unappetizing texture that was largely devoid of the rich, robust flavor Bolognese is known for. To achieve that deeply satisfying taste and desirable texture, the Maillard reaction—the browning that occurs when meat is seared at high heat—is indispensable. This initial sizzle in your skillet caramelizes the meat, developing complex flavor compounds that simply cannot be replicated by slow cooking alone. This crucial pre-cooking step helps to form a hearty, robust tomato sauce brimming with crispy, browned morsels of meat that hold their shape and stand up beautifully to your spaghetti. The depth of flavor it adds is truly transformative, making this small extra effort entirely worthwhile for an utterly delicious and authentic Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese.
Once you have perfectly browned your ground beef (or turkey), alongside the diced onions and minced garlic, it’s time for another pivotal step: deglazing your pan with Holland House Red Cooking Wine. You’ll absolutely love that satisfying sizzling sound as the wine hits the hot pan! This particular cooking wine has become one of my most reliable, greatest-ever go-to pantry staples, especially during the autumn and winter months. I consistently incorporate it to impart an amazing flavor boost to a wide array of my sauces, hearty stews, and succulent pot roasts all season long. What I particularly appreciate about Holland House Cooking Wine is its convenience; I can easily store it in my cabinet after using just a splash, without any concern about a large bottle of drinking wine going bad. It is fundamentally what elevates this recipe, ensuring it turns out so wonderfully vibrant and rich, so be sure to grab a bottle for your own kitchen. As an added bonus, here’s a convenient coupon to help you get started!
Allow your wine to simmer down, reducing its volume by about half, letting those incredible aromas fill your kitchen. This concentration of flavor is key. Then, transfer this rich mixture, along with all the remaining ingredients, into your slow cooker. The hardest part is now behind you! All that’s left to do is patiently wait while the slow cooker works its magic. Depending on your setting, cook on High for 3-4 hours, or on Low for 6-8 hours, and you will be rewarded with the perfect canvas for a truly crazy delicious dinner. Once the sauce is ready, simply add some hot cooked spaghetti, a generous sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and perhaps some chopped fresh basil or parsley if you’re feeling a bit fancy. For a complete and utterly satisfying meal, I adore serving this Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese with warm, crusty garlic bread and a crisp, lemony light green salad to balance the richness.
It’s time to dig in and savor every single bite!
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Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
8 servings
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 to 2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup Holland House Red Cooking Wine
- 2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
- 3 beef bouillon cubes, crushed
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the spaghetti/serving:
- 1/2 lb. dry, uncooked spaghetti
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves
Instructions
For the sauce:
- In a large skillet set to medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook until onions and garlic are fragrant and softened, and beef is browned (crumbling as you cook), about 7-9 minutes. Deglaze pan with red cooking wine and bring to a simmer. Cook down liquid to about half, simmering for 2-3 minutes. Transfer cooked mixture to your slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients into the slow cooker, except for spaghetti. Cook on High for 3-4 Hours, or Low for 6-8 hours.
For the spaghetti/serving:
- Set a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions for al dente (soft but slightly firm), about 6 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add 2-1/2 cups of the sauce to the pasta, tossing gently to coat.
- Using tongs, serve spaghetti into individual bowls and top with more sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil or parsley leaves, if desired.
- Enjoy!
Notes
This sauce freezes well, too! Allow to cool overnight then freeze in small portions (you can even use an ice cube tray for this step).
Disclosure: This recipe was created for Holland House Cooking Wines. All opinions are my own.
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