Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 onions (finely chopped)

4 cloves garlic (minced, or 1 tablespoon minced garlic)

2 pounds lean ground beef

1/2 cup red wine (or beef broth/stock - optional)

56 ounces crushed tomatoes (28-ounce cans)

1 cup beef stock

6 tablespoons tomato paste

1 large carrot (chopped)

1 tablespoon stock powder (or crushed beef bouillon)

2-3 teaspoons salt (adjust to your taste)

2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped)

2 teaspoons dried basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh basil, finely chopped)

1 teaspoon sugar

1 pinch cracked pepper (to taste)

1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)

17 ounces spaghetti (dry pasta)

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Brown beef, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until just beginning to brown (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker bowl.

Return the skillet to the stove; pour in the wine while scraping any bits of the fried meat from the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and transfer to the slow cooker bowl.

To the slow cooker bowl, add in the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, tomato paste, carrot, stock powder (or crushed bouillon cubes), salt, oregano, basil, sugar and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. Add in the chopped parsley before serving.

In the last 15 minutes of cooking time, boil pasta in salted water following packet instructions.

Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Pour the reserved water back into the pasta along with 2 cups cooked bolognese sauce. Stir until the sauce is thick enough to coat the pasta.

Serve with parmesan cheese and (extra) chopped parsley, if desired.

Nutrition

• Calories: 551 kcal
• Total Fat: 15 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
• Trans Fat: 1 g
• Cholesterol: 74 mg
• Sodium: 1.248 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 68 g
• Dietary Fiber: 7 g
• Total Sugars: 14 g
• Protein: 36 g