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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Made this exactly as shown. It was wonderful. Froze half. Will definitely make a.
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Jody!
Best spaghetti bolognese I’ve ever made! Everyone loved it, perfect recipe.
Thank you so much Sarah!
Excellent, restaurant quality, I’ve made several times throughout the years
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Janet! Many thanks!
This is my absolute go-to recipe. So easy, so tasty, so so good.. Food prep is crazy easy, the slow cooker does all the hard work and you get to enjoy the delicious aroma as it fills your home. Thank you for this incredible recipe x
You are very welcome Kate! So happy you love it.
Been meaning to leave a comment as this is my go-to recipe for SpagBol! It is fabulous. If you’re thinking about trying it out, DO! It has ruined me and my family for any other sauce. Also freezes well if you somehow don’t want to eat it all week. Thanks for posting this!
Lizzie, you are too kind! Thank you so much, we are so happy to hear your family loves it!
I have made this once before and I’m making it again tonight! It is incredibly easy but most importantly, the taste is perfect! Wonderful recipe, thank you for sharing!!!
Thank you Jennifer! So glad you can enjoy this recipe time and time again!
This is incredible! I make spag bol at least once a fortnight, thought I’d try and find a slow cooker recipe, and wow this is tasty as heck.
Many thanks Izzy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I’ve been searching for the best bolognese sauce recipe for a long time. This is “the one”.
Taste was incredible. Everyone loved it! Will definitely making it again! Thank you for sharing
I am so glad that you enjoyed this sauce Neha!
The best Bolognese sauce I’ve had ! The best part is doing it in the crockpot
Totally agree Rebecca! We love being able to toss everything in the slow cooker!
Hi Nagi, I was wondering how to make the meat more fine and oily like the good restaurants. I’ve not tried this recipe yet but planning on it this weekend. When I’ve made Bolognese before in the slow cooker the beef tends to remain stringy like it is in the pack. I’ve tyres chopping it up first. Any advice please?
I use a tool like this one to chop up the beef as it cooks. I hope that helps!
I use a steel potato masher whilst browning the meat….works a treat!
Going to try your Bologna’s looks good looking for slow cooker receipes
I hope you love it Annette! You can find all of m slow cooker recipes here:
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/?s=slow+cooker
Amazing love this recipe will definitely be using again.
So glad you enjoyed it Jessica!
Could you substitute the tomatoes for peeled San Marzano’s, spending the first few minutes breaking them up in the slow cooker before covering?
While I haven’t tried it myself Doug, I think it would work out deliciously!
This looks delicious & I’m anxious to make it. Recipe calls for 1/2 pound of dry pasta yet it says it serves 8-10 people. Is the pasta amount correct?
The sauce makes enough for 8-10 servings. 8oz spaghetti should give you 4 cups of cooked pasta. If you prefer a bigger portion of pasta, you can certainly increase the pasta.
This is my go-to spaghetti recipe! It’s by far the best I’ve had, and the whole family loves it! We always have enough for two meals, so I save half in the freezer for another day! I’ve made it for several guests, and it always gets devoured.
So happy to hear that Marla!
I have been making this regularly for over a year now. I feel bad for not commenting before now because this has become my go-to bolognese. It is literally amazing every time. Everyone always loves it. I have shared this recipe with friends. Give it a try, follow the recipe, you won’t be disappointed.
No worries Beigewood! We are just glad you have been enjoying it! Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe. I swear it tastes just like my Nanna’s Bolognese, she always made for all the kids when we would come over. I do a double recipe every time, so we have a few meals to freeze. I double everything accept for the tomatoes and wine. I do a cup and a half of wine, and add as many cans of tomatoes as will fit in my crockpot. Usually it’s two or three cans. Absolutely delicious and super handy to keep in the freezer.
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe Hannah! Having this in the freezer would be super handy for busy nights!
This is my favourite Bolognese recipe ever! Been making it for a while now, and was curious, the nutritional info listed, does that include the calories for the pasta, or just the sauce alone?
Thanks!
The nutritional info includes pasta. Thanks Charley!
Great recipe!
I did make a few alterations. I used stew meat instead of ground beef do after browning it, put it in the pressure cooker for about 10 minutes along with some sliced baby carrots.
After it was done, I mixed all the remaining ingredients in the pressure cooker and pressure cooked it all together for 5 minutes then put it on to slow cook for the afternoon.
Even before it was done, I had to sample it….WOW! The meat become exceptionally tender and provides a lovely textural contrast to the sauce.
Thanks for sharing this Justin! I am going to have to try making this in my instant pot now, I love the idea of your addition of stew meat!
Should I just half the recipe if I only have 1lb of meat?? And would the cook time change?
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. Enjoy Danielle!
Hi! This recipe looks yummy and I’m going to give it a go, I would usually put it on before work and eat as soon as I get in but my working day is 10.5 hours, would that be ok? Don’t want to come back and it’s reduced to nothing!
If the lid is on, you should be okay. Keep the slow cooker on low. Enjoy!