This Secret Slow Cooker Sauce Will Blow Your Mind!
Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce: The recipe you need to make pasta night great again!
Things to know:
What is Bolognese sauce?
Bolognese sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese) is a rich, slow-simmered Italian meat sauce from Bologna, traditionally made with a mix of ground meats (beef, pork, pancetta), a soffritto of onion, celery, and carrot, wine, milk, and a small amount of tomatoes, resulting in a thick, creamy, and hearty sauce. It’s known for its deep flavor, achieved through long cooking times, and is typically served with wide pasta like tagliatelle, not spaghetti.
What is the difference between spaghetti sauce and bolognese sauce?
The key difference here is that bolognese sauce contains meat of some sort – beef, veal or pork are the most popular options. It just so happens that beef is the most popular choice in Italy.
What is the secret to a good bolognese sauce?
Slow-roasting the sauce in the oven saves stirring time and keeps everything tender, while still yielding well-developed, browned flavors. Finishing with heavy cream and Parmesan emulsifies the sauce; a touch of fish sauce enhances the umami notes without imparting any detectable fishiness.
Will bolognese thicken in a slow cooker?
If your slow cooker Bolognese sauce seems watery, you can thicken it in one of two ways. The first method involves allowing the sauce to simmer and reduce. It’s easiest to do that on a stove top. You can also add a cornstarch slurry to the sauce to thicken it.
Is 4 hours on high the same as 8 hours on low in a slow cooker?
The difference is the time it takes to reach that temperature. Low: 7-8 hours to reach the simmer point. High: 3-4 hours to reach the simmer point.
Does taking the lid off a slow cooker thicken the sauce?
If it comes to serving and you open your slow cooker to find a watery sauce, never fear we have an easy answer. Take the lid off, turn the machine up to high heat and leave it for 30-45 minutes to let excess moisture cook off. The liquid will reduce, leaving you with a thick and delicious gravy or sauce.
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
2 white onions, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (we used our aged ground beef)
1/2 lb ground Italian sausage (we used our homemade sausage)
1 cup dry red wine
2 (28 oz) crushed tomatoes or we used 2 25 oz jars of Yo Mama’s Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce
4 T tomato paste
2 t dried oregano
2 t dried basil
2 t dried thyme
1 t red pepper flake
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Add remaining olive oil to skillet, followed by the beef and Italian Sausage. Season with salt and pepper and cook until brown. Transfer to slow cooker.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add red wine to skillet. Bring to a simmer, scraping up all the browned on bits from the pan with a wooden spoon. Pour over meat in slow cooker.
4. Add crushed tomatoes (or tomato sauce), tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaves, red pepper flake to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6 hours.
5. Thin sauce with water if needed, or cook uncovered to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over pasta and ENJOY!
Equipment used:
Lodge 13.25” Cast Iron Skillet
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