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Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe

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8 hours 15 minutes
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This Slow Cooker Bolognese is a thick, flavorful meat sauce that goes perfectly over pasta. Once you try this, you'll never buy pre-made spaghetti sauce or marinara again!
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe

What is bolognese?

Bolognese is a meat based sauce that comes from a place called Bologna, Italy, which is where it gets it’s name.

Bolognese is not the same thing as spaghetti or marinara sauce.  Marinara is a tomato based sauce filled with herbs and occasionally vegetables.  Bolognese is a meat based sauce that has just a little bit of tomato for flavor.

So if meaty sauce is your thing, then so is bolognese!

Try the Instant Pot version of this recipe HERE!

Can you put raw meat in the slow cooker?

You may have noticed that even though this is a slow cooker recipe, you have to brown your Italian sausage before putting it into the slow cooker.

Meat doesn’t necessarily have to be cooked before putting it in the slow cooker.  We often use raw chicken breasts, pork chops and roasts in the slow cooker.

However, the gentle heat of a slow cooker can’t brown meat, so if you are using a ground meat it is best to cook it before.

Cooking your ground meat before putting it in the slow cooker allows it to brown and gives it more flavor.

Cooking your bolognese in the slow cooker allows the tomatoes and other seasonings to simmer to give it the best flavor.

What kind of meat is used to make bolognese?

Bolognese is traditionally made with minced beef or pork.  We love using mild Italian ground sausage for our Slow Cooker Bolognese.

Slow Cooker Bolognese served over spaghetti on a plate
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How to make bolognese in the slow cooker:

Making Bolognese in your slow cooker is easier than you might think.

Simply brown the Italian sausage in a skillet, drain the excess grease and add it to the slow cooker.

Next, mix in all the other ingredients and let it cook on for 8 hours.

THAT’S IT!

Slow Cooker Bolognese served over spaghetti on a plate

This recipe can literally be thrown together in just a matter of minutes, but after that homemade bolognese sauce has been simmering all day it will taste like you spent hours slaving over it in the kitchen.

The other ingredients used in this Slow Cooker Bolognese include minced onion flakes, minced garlic, a can of crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, dried oregano, dried basil, fennel seed, salt and pepper.

We serve this Slow Cooker Bolognese over pasta after it is done cooking and top it with some grated Parmesan cheese.

You can serve this meat sauce over whatever pasta you prefer.

What to serve with Slow Cooker Bolognese:

We love serving this Slow Cooker Bolognese with our Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread and Fresh Italian Green Salad.

The best slow cooker Italian recipes:

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe

Thick and flavorful bolognese sauce that is so easy to make.
Serving6
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground Italian sausage
  • 3 Tablespoons minced onion flakes
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, 1 can
  • 6 ounces tomato paste, 1 can
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 16 ounces whole wheat spaghetti noodles, 1 package, cooked
  • 2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, optional topping

Equipment

Instructions

  1. Brown Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces; drain and rinse well.
  2. Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
  3. Add cooked sausage and mix in onion flakes, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, water, sugar, oregano, basil, fennel seed, salt and pepper until well combined.
  4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
  5. Serve over cooked pasta.
  6. Top with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

  • Nutrition information does not include optional topping.
How to turn this into a freezer meal:
Cook the ground sausage and diced onion on the stove top and place in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag or other freezer-safe container. Dump in the remaining ingredients. Let the bag cool down (if still hot from the cooked sausage). Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal bag closed. Place in the freezer for 60-90 days. When ready to use, dump ingredients from bag into slow cooker. Place the lid on top and cook on  LOW heat for 8-9 hours (or until completely heated through – every slow cooker will be a little different). Follow the rest of the instructions as written.

Nutrition

Calories: 614 kcal · Carbohydrates: 78 g · Protein: 26 g · Fat: 25 g · Saturated Fat: 9 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 11 g · Cholesterol: 57 mg · Sodium: 4836 mg · Potassium: 1074 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 13 g · Vitamin A: 737 IU · Vitamin C: 21 mg · Calcium: 139 mg · Iron: 7 mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Main Course
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.

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Slow Cooker Bolognese on top of Spaghetti on a plate
Published: March 17, 2022Updated: November 10, 2022

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Questions & Reviews

  2. Rachel says:
    Looks yummy!

    Rachel
    Delish Life delidhvida.blogspot.com
  3. Savannah McQueen says:
    For the past few days I've been enjoying your site. Today I am hosting a pasta blog hop and I wondered if you'd be willing to link this up to it. Here is the link - http://www.hammocktracks.com/2012/03/savannahs-savory-bites-cajun-pork.html
    Thanks!
  4. Erin says:
    Looks like another good one to try! :-)

    Erin
    takingtimetocreate.blogspot.com
  5. Purcelly =) says:
    What can I use, other than crushed tomatoes? Kids aren't too crazy about tomatoes. :)
  6. Tammie says:
    How do you think it would taste without the meat?? Would it still be worth making?
  7. Alison @ Oopsey Daisy says:
    YUM! I want to try this! Thanks for sharing at oopsey daisy!
  8. Six Sisters says:
    @Tammie,

    I think this would still taste great without the meat!
  9. Six Sisters says:
    @Purcelly,

    I've heard of some people blending up their crushed tomatoes until they are completely smooth or just replacing the exact amount with tomato paste. I hope that helps!
  11. LeAnne says:
    This is a delicious recipe. I made it today for a second time. This time I added the water to my skillet after I browned and removed the sausage. It kicks up all the leftover bits of sausage and adds tons of flavor to the sauce.
  12. OCali says:
    I am enjoying your site and have found so many good recipes!! I am trying this one for tomorrow's dinner.
  13. Allison says:
    If you add 1 shredded zucchini and 1 shredded carrot it is healthy and also tastes great. The kids won't even know they are eating all those veggies. I have a similar marinara that I slow simmer on the stove. I always use fresh basil though, so much more flavor. I also make ground turkey meatballs to go with it. I'll have to add a little turkey sausage to mix it up next time. Thanks!
  14. Lesley says:
    Made this tonight. It was delish!!
  15. Christina says:
    Made this tonight, following the recipe exactly and it was fantastic! So easy. Thank you!
  16. Carm says:
    I made this last night; the family LOVED it!!
  17. Amber Brady says:
    FENNEL makes everything so yummy!
  18. Kristen Miller says:
    I made this last night with your cheesy breadsticks and it was a huge success. I even went one step further and made the sauce over the weekend (just cooked the sausage threw it in a freezer bag with everything else) and froze it all. Super easy!
  19. Dena says:
    This was a huge success, I got complaints I didn't make enough! Everyone wanted to take it for lunch the next day but they ate every bite at dinner. Thanks for sharing this!
  20. Crystal says:
    Loved this sauce, easy to make and it made the house smell yummy all day.
  21. Jen says:
    Every time I visit my in-laws or they visit us my Father-in-law requests I make this! He says it's the closest thing to Olive Garden's meat sauce (his favorite) that we've ever made at home, and he likes it even more. Thanks for the great recipes!! I have used two of the burger recipes from this blog and my husband is very impressed with me :)
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