I love making pasta sauce. My go-to recipe is usually my Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce but this time I was in the mood to make a Bolognese Sauce.
The main difference between pasta sauce and Bolognese sauce is that the latter typically includes ground meat, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes and wine.
Ingredient Substitution
You can use fresh oregano and basil instead of the dried. Simply use 1 tablespoon of each if you are going to substitute.
For the Italian Sausage, you can use whatever you prefer. Sweet, Mild or Hot. Make it your own!
If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can use an equal amount of tomato juice or even water. Your Call!
Kitchen Gadgets
Using the Right Equipment can make a BIG Difference. Check out our Favs!
Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Bolognese Sauce recipe in your Slow Cooker. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Italian Sausage – sweet, mild or hot
- Garlic Cloves – minced
- Celery Sticks – finely diced
- Carrots – finely diced
- White Onion – finely diced
- Diced Tomatoes – with the juices for this recipe
- Tomato Paste – I prefer Hunt’s brand but you can use any brand
- White Sugar – you can also use any sugar alternative
- Fresh Oregano – or 1 tablespoon of fresh oregano
- Fresh Basil – or 1 tablespoon of fresh basil
- Salt – a must for most recipes
- Ground Black Pepper – Freshly Ground as much as possible
- Dry White Wine – like a good Pinot Gris
- Parmesan Cheese – shredded or grated
How to Make Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce
- In a large skillet, brown the lean ground beef and sausage breaking it up while it cooks.
- After about 5 minutes, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook until the onion is just tender and the beef and sausage are no longer pink. Drain any excess fat.
- Transfer the ground meat mixture to the slow cooker. Add all the remaining ingredients.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.
- You can serve immediately by adding in the Parmesan cheese just before serving.
- You can also ladle the sauce into sterilized jars and seal them for future use.
Printable Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce
↑ Click stars to rate
Ingredients
- 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
- ½ lb Italian Sausage, removed from casing
- 4 Garlic Cloves, crushed
- 2 Celery Sticks, diced
- 2 Carrots, diced
- 1 White Onion, diced
- 28 oz Diced Tomatoes
- 12 oz Tomato Paste
- 1 Tsp White Sugar
- 1 Tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 Tsp Fresh Basil
- 1 Tsp Salt
- ¼ Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- ½ Cup Dry White Wine, Pinot noir or Merlot
- ½ Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the lean ground beef and sausage breaking it up while it cooks.
- After about 5 minutes, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook until the onion is just tender and the beef and sausage are no longer pink. Drain any excess fat.
- Transfer the ground meat mixture to the slow cooker. Add all the remaining ingredients.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.
- You can serve immediately by adding in the Parmesan cheese just before serving.
- You can also ladle the sauce into sterilized jars and sealing them for future use.
Notes
This bolognese sauce was very flavorful. I love using my slow cooker so this recipe was a great one to try.