The Ultimate Slow Cooker Spag Bol
Spaghetti bolognese is a real Italian classic. Every home chef needs a good spag bol recipe in their repertoire, and we believe that slow cooking is the best way to make this classic.
Some upfront work in the pan is important for this recipe. You need to slightly crisp the pancetta or bacon lardons, soften the veg and brown the minced beef. Reducing the wine is also important. Just remember, when slow cooking, there’s no need to use an expensive bottle wine!
We find this works equally well on a high 3-4 cook and a 7-8 hour cook. Just work out your timings for when you want to eat, then you can set and forget the slow cooker.
After the slow cook, it almost goes without saying… serve with spaghetti and plenty of parmesan cheese. A sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley goes a long way too.
The Ultimate Slow Cooker Spag Bol
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 500 g Minced beef
- 100 g Pancetta cubed. Or bacon lardons.
- 100 ml Red wine
- 400 g Chopped tomatoes Tinned
- 1 Onion Finely diced
- 2 Carrots Diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic Minced
- 1 Stick Celery Diced
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tbsp Dried oregano
- 2 tbsp olive oil For the pan
To serve
- Spaghetti, Parmesan and Fresh Parsley.
Instructions
- Heat a pan with a little olive oil. Add the pancetta cubes and cook for a few minutes until they crisp slightly.
- Add the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery and soften for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the minced beef and cook until browned all over, stirring well throughout. Transfer the contents of the pan to the slow cooker.
- In the same pan (now emptied) add the tomato purée, red wine and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and cook for 3-4 minutes while the mixture bubbles gently. You’ll notice the wine starts to reduce and the mixture thickens slightly.
- Add the tomatoes and oregano and cook while gently bubbling for a further 3-4 minutes. Transfer this mixture to the slow cooker.
- Stir everything well in the slow cooker, and add the 2 bay leaves.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or 3-4 hours on high.
- Spoon over freshly cooked spaghetti and top with plenty of parmesan and freshly chopped parsley.
