Crockpot Bolognese
This rich, luxurious meat sauce is slow-cooked and perfect for serving over your favorite pasta.
Equipment
- 1 Crockpot
- 1 Large Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork not sausage
- 1 large onion, chopped into large chunks
- 2-3 carrots, chopped into large chunks
- 2-3 celery stalks, chopped into large chunks
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces Pancetta, diced
- 1 14.5 ounce whole canned tomatoes
- 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 beef bullion cubes
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- freshly cracked black pepper
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Place the onions in a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped. Transfer to another bowl and then repeat this process with the carrots, celery, and garlic cloves.
- Once all of your veggies have been chopped, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the veggies you just chopped, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and saute, stirring frequently, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked veggies to the crockpot.
- Add the ground beef, ground pork, pancetta, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to the same pan you just cooked your veggies in. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat has browned, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the red wine and bullion cubes to the skillet and let the alcohol cook off for about two minutes, being sure to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet with the wooden spoon. The bullion will disolve in the cooking liquid.
- Transfer the meat mixture into the crockpot along with the veggies.
- Using your fingers to crush the tomatoes, add them to the crockpot along with the broth, tomato paste, milk, and oregano.
- Give everything a good stir to combine all of the ingredients well.
- Put the lid on the crockpot and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours. Stiring occasionaly.
- Check and adjust as needed seasoning and then serve over your favorite pasta with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
STORING LEFTOVERS
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator.
- Freezes well. Put leftover sauce inside a ziplock bag, making sure it is sealed well. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight when you are ready to use it.
- To reheat, just place it in a pot on the stove and stir until heated through.