This Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese will make Italian Mamas proud. It’s rich, luscious, the sauce is silky and the meat is so tender it melts in your mouth. And the slow cooker does all the hard work!!
Long and slow is how real Italian Mamas make proper Spaghetti Bolognese. It’s when the magic happens, the sauce thickens and infuses with incredible flavour that you simply can’t achieve in 30 minutes on the stove. The meat becomes so tender and soft, it literally melts in your mouth. The sauce is silky and rich, and clings lovingly to the pasta, staining the long strands a deep red.
So basically, slow cookers were made for Bolognese sauce. Or maybe Spaghetti Bolognese was made for slow cookers. Doesn’t really matter. They’re a match made in heaven! :-)
Now I have to tell you, this is a real proper authentic Bolognese recipe. So it’s not a “chuck it all in the slow cooker” recipe. Softening the onion and browning the beef before transferring it to the slow cooker is a key step, it can’t be skipped!
It just so happens that my slow cooker has a sauté setting – very handy for browning before slow cooking. However, when I make Bolognese Sauce in the slow cooker, I always make a double batch using 2 lb of ground beef. So if I were to brown the beef in the slow cooker, I’d have to do it in batches anyway because otherwise it would be (very!) overcrowded and the beef would end up stewing instead.
So I just brown the beef in a large skillet then transfer to the slow cooker. Well actually, I brown the onion first then transfer that into the slow cooker, then I brown the beef. Simply because of sheer volume – I don’t have a skillet large enough!
I am very particular about recipes I make in a slow cooker. I strongly believe that things should only be made in a slow cooker if it either enhances the recipe or the sheer convenience far outweighs a small compromise in the food.
As for Spaghetti Bolognese? It absolutely enhances it. Slow cookers on low cook maintain an even temperature lower than most stoves can manage. I truly believe to my very core that Bolognese Sauce made in the slow cooker is better.
This recipe makes a double batch but you could even triple it if you want! Because not only is Bolognese made for making in a slow cooker, it’s also made for freezing!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 cup red wine or chicken or beef broth
- 2 (28 ounce each) can crushed tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 beef bouillon cubes crushed
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Pasta
- 8 ounces spaghetti
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook until translucent and sweet - around 7 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same skillet and increase heat to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned. Cook in 2 batches if your skillet is not large enough. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Return skillet to the stove, turn the stove down to medium and add red wine. Bring to simmer and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet into the wine, then pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients into the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 6 hours.
Spaghetti
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook the spaghetti until just before al dente (still slightly firm). Remove 1 mug of the water from the pot, then drain the pasta.
- Return the pasta to the pot and add 2 ½ - 3 cups of Bolognese Sauce, plus ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Toss gently over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, or until the Sauce has thickened and coats the spaghetti. (Note 3)
- Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Really wonderful recipe with deep, rich flavors developed during the slow cooking. I used red pepper flakes, but will reduce the amount to a scant teaspoon the next time – just to make it a tad less intense – but delicious nonetheless!
I make spiral veggie noodles to cut the calories with this meal. Squash is great for this. It’s wonderful to come home after a long day at work and have a complete nourishing meal about 8 minutes – between cooking the veggie noodles and heating the frozen sauce. This will be one of my go-to recipes for the future!
This is our go to pasta sauce for spaghetti, ziti, lasagna! Rich & flavorful! I add fresh, sauteed mushrooms. Thank you, Holly!
You are very welcome! So glad you like it.
Great recipe. The tastiest spag bol I have tried and the only one my partner will now eat! I halve the amount and it makes enough for 4/5 people. I also add some diced carrot (straight into the slow cooker) and chopped smoked bacon (which I fry first) to give a deeper flavour.
I am so glad you two like the recipe Georgina! I love the idea of adding smoked bacon for an extra flavor dimension!
Can you cook this on high?
You can cook it on high for 2-3 hours.
Absolutely delicious! I’m not sure if I misread the recipe, but 1/2 lb. of spaghetti noodles didn’t seem like enough. I figured maybe the sauce was a double batch and you froze half of it? Anyway, I cooked another 1/2 lb. of spaghetti noodles and it was super yummy. My husband said it was better than what we normally get at the Italian restaurant we go to. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
How long can you freeze it for?
You can freeze this for 4-6 months.
This looks amazing! Would I be able to brown the beef and cook the onion from the night before to make it easier? I start work really early so don’t want to wake up even earlier.
That would work perfectly!!
You mentioned we could use chicken or beef broth instead of wine. Would you recommend chicken or beef broth to replace the wine?
In this case I would suggest beef.
I made this last night and it was amazing! My family liked it better than how I make spaghetti sauce. LOL!
I am so glad they liked it, Amy!!
Can I put this in a pressure cooker and cook with the same ingredients?
Since this recipe makes a double batch, if I want to cut it in half (meaning the serving size will be 4-5 instead of 8-10), what would be the cook time be? Should I halved that too? Thank you!
The cooking time will remain the same if you half the recipe. You’ll want to ensure your slow cooker is ½ full for best results.
HI, you have us reserve 1 cup of pasta water but only use 1/2- what happens to the other 1/2 cup-anything? Is it added to the unused sauce that’s going to be frozen?
The remaining water may or may not be needed depending on the thickness of the sauce.
Hi can this be cooked on low for 9 hours as that’s how long I’ll be at work? Thanks
Yes, that should work fine, and then cook the pasta/noodles when you get home from work!
Hi, I Ann currently making this recipe! I made it a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with it, spaghetti bolonese being my favourite dish! I just wanted to know how many calories this dish is as I am currently keeping track of my Calorie intake? Thanks
Hello, thank you for trying this recipe! Happy to hear that it was a hit. Please find the nutritional information under the recipe!
I made this today and it was a hit! Really good! Thanks for the recipe. This will be a family staple.
I’m so glad your family loved this Sherry!
Hi,
Two q’s:
Do I drain the liquid/fat after browning the meat before transferring to the slow cooker?
And, do I drain the liquid from the canned crushed tomatoes before transferring to the slow cooker?
If using a fairly lean beef, there isn’t much to drain so I wouldn’t bother. Crushed tomatoes are different than diced tomatoes in that they’re almost like a sauce in a way so you wouldn’t want to drain it.
Do you drain the meat before transferring to the crock pot? Thank you!
Just noticed you answered this question above. Thanks!
If using a lean meat you shouldn’t have much to drain. If you find you have quite a bit of fat you could certainly drain some of it off.
If I didn’t want to use bouillon cubes, what can I use as a substitute?
I have been making this recipe ever since I found your post. Its the best. It has such great flavor. I always make a lot so I can freeze it to have later. Tanks for sharing this.
I’m so glad you loved it Joanie!
This looks delish! It’s cooking in my Instant Pot right now (slow cooker setting). I added some diced carrots. Will add some chopped mushrooms during the last 30 min along with chopped spinach (my husband loves plenty of veggies in every meal). Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Delicious additions, thank you for sharing!