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    Home » Recipes » Slow Cooker

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

    Published: Jun 29, 2020 · Modified: Aug 30, 2020 by Adrianne

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    Easy Beef Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese is the easy way to cook an all time classic family favourite. This recipe is simple, tasty and a results in a rich spaghetti bolognese that will blow your socks off! 

    Wooden spoon holding Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese over black crock pot bowl

    Ground Beef Casserole, Creamy Garlic Chicken Thighs, Moroccan Lamb Couscous and Turkey Chilli Con Carne, are all delicious dinner recipes the whole family will love.

    Why not make life easy and use our Slow Cooker for the occasional dinner recipe that we can quite literally 'set and forget'.

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese is quite literally a simple crockpot recipe. 

    These recipes are great on their own or serve with a side dish like our skin on roast potatoes or horseradish mashed potatoes for a complete meal! 

    Or if you want a fast pasta, try our Instant Pot Penne Pasta or a lighter pasta the Smoked Salmon Spaghetti or Bacon Spaghetti. A classic meatballs in sauce, the Oven Baked Meatballs in Sauce recipe.

    Ingredients 

    Our ingredients are simple and basic. They are set out in the photo below and labelled so you can see exactly what you need:

    Ingredients set out for slow cooker spaghetti bolognese with text overlay

    As you can see, we need:

    • beef mince
    • passata
    • crushed tomatoes
    • sliced mushrooms
    • diced carrots
    • dried onion
    • garlic
    • Italian herbs
    • salt
    • pepper

    Top Tip: We cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. It will take about 10 mins. 

    Intructions

    We can break down our recipe into 12 eay steps. These are shown in the photo below: 

    Process shots with text overlay

    As you can see we need to: 

    1. add beef mince, carrots, mushrooms, passata, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, onion and Italian herbs to our slow cooker (shown in photos 1 - 10)
    2. use a wooden spoon to stir all of these ingredients together (shown in photo 11)

    Then you can literally 'set and forget'. It is funny that the thing that will remind you that this is cooking is the amazing smell wafting through the house! 

    Important steps:

    Of the steps above, 4 of them are the ones to focus on allowing for the best ever Slow Cooker Bolognese. Let's look at the next photo for these steps:

    • the passata adds a thick, rich tomato flavour to the finished recipe
    • Italian Herbs are the perfect addition to flavour our ingredients with authentic 'Italian style'
    • the ingredients need to be seasoned well, stirring the ingredients together is essential.
    • a minimum of 4 hrs on low and 2 hrs on high will do the job, longer is fine also 
    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese process shots with text overlay

    For this recipe, I like to cook the spaghetti separately on the stove top. One of the main reasons is that it allows us to have leftover bolognese to freeze that is separate from the cooked pasta. 

    Use zip lock bags to portion out and freeze the bolognese sauce or cook the batch, allow it to cool and freeze for an entire meal that is ready with just a little reheating! 

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can you put raw mince in the Slow Cooker?

    You can absolutely put raw ground mince meat into your Slow Cooker. It will cook evenly throughout. That is one of the reasons why this recipe is so easy!! 

    When I do this, I spray the crockpot with cooking oil replacing oil in a fry pan which does reduce the total oil used in the dish. 

    Do you need to brown mince before putting in Slow Cooker?

    You do not need to brown your mince before adding it to the Slow Cooker. 

    Spray the base of your Slow Cooker bowl with olive oil, then add the ingredients. 

    The mince will cook over the length of the cook time, changing colour as it goes. You will notice that is is less oily than stove top cooked beef mince as we only need the oil that we spray in the beginning to ensure the ingredients don't stick to the bowl along the way. 

    Spraying the bowl with cooking oil is just one small step to ensure less clean up at the end of our cook time! 

    What vegetables can I add to bolognese sauce?

    You can easily add your favourite vegetables to this dish and doing so also helps bulk up the recipe.

    I like to use sliced mushrooms and diced carrot, along with the crushed tomatoes that go into the thick and rich sauce. 

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese on a white plate

    It will take as little as 2 hrs to cook mince in the slow cooker on high. The results are juicy, Italian flavoured and fork worthy!

    If a quick pasta is more your thing, try the Sausage Spaghetti!

    Slow Cooker dinner recipes

    This recipe might inspire you to make more Crockpot Dinner recipes. Here are some ideas to get you started:

    • Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken 
    • Slow Cooker Chicken Mushroom Thighs  

    and of course, not to forget, slow cooker chicken wings:

    • Honey BBQ Chicken Wings
    • Honey Mustard Chicken Wings
    • Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken Wings
    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bologese on white plate with blue napkin underneath

    Each of the above recipes are delicious on their own or with a delicious side dish.

    This Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese is suitable for and loved by the whole family. Freezer friendly, easy and delicious, you will want to make it every week! 

    Or try a mid week pasta like the Artichoke Spaghetti  or Anchovy Spaghetti recipes.

    Fork holding spaghetti over plate of spaghetti bolognese

    Spaghetti recipes

    It doesn't have to be spaghetti, you can use you favourite pasta, or be inspired by one of these dishes! 

    • Smoked Salmon Spaghetti
    • Artichoke Spaghetti
    • Instant Pot Penne Pasta
    • Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese
    • Ground Beef Casserole
    • Tuna Pasta Bake
    • Sausage Spaghetti
    • Rocket Pesto Pasta
    • Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta

    Adrianne xx

    Hunger still got you? You can SUBSCRIBE to receive the latest recipes, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese on a white plate

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese is an easy way to cook a classic family favourite. This recipe is tasty and results in a rich spaghetti bolognese.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Christmas Dinner
    Cuisine: Australian, International, Italian
    Keyword: pasta, spaghetti
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 4 hours
    Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 435kcal
    Author: Adrianne
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Slow Cooker
    • Wooden spoon
    • Saucepan
    • Colander

    Ingredients

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

    • 500 grams beef mince
    • 1 cup sliced mushrooms Note 1
    • 2 cups diced carrot Note 2
    • 400 grams crushed tomatoes Note 3
    • 700 grams passata
    • 1 tbs dried onion Note 4
    • 1 tbs garlic, minced Note 5
    • 1 tablespoon italian herbs Note 6
    • salt and pepper Note 5, to taste

    Instructions

    Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

    • Turn your Slow Cooker on to a warm setting.
    • Spray the Slow Cooker (Crockpot) bowl with olive oil Note 6
    • Add beef mince, sliced mushrooms, diced carrot, passata, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, garlic, dried onion and Italian herbs to the oiled bowl.
    • Use a wooden spoon to stir these ingredients together so the herbs and sauces and mixed in well to the vegetables and sauces.
    • Turn Slow Cooker to low, cook for 4 hrs (or 2 hrs on high)
    • Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions, then drain. Note 7
    • Plate cooked spaghetti and spoon Slow Cooker Bolognese over the top
    • Garnish with cracked pepper, parmesan cheese and freshly chopped parsley. Note 8

    Video

    Notes

    • Note 1 To make this recipe as easy as it can be, I use store bought sliced mushrooms. By all means you can buy whole mushrooms and slice your own but it will take longer. 
    • Note 2 2 cups diced carrots is 3-4 carrots. I cut the tip and end of and use my food processor to chop. 
    • Note 3 I prefer the crushed tomatoes which are plain. We are adding our own herbs which allows us to know exactly what goes into the dish. So no need to buy tomatoes with additional herbs. 
    • Note 3 Dried onion will be found in the spices aisle at the store. It is one of my all time favourite ingredients to cook with. Saving both time and tears but still giving great flavour. This is a must try ingredients if you haven't come across it before. 
    • Note 4 Crushed garlic, minced garlic or fresh garlic are all fine. I prefer crushed or minced for a recipe like this as you literally scoop it from the jar with your measuring spoon, tip it into your Slow Cooker and then you are done. No chopping or peeling (saves a chunk of time!)
    • Note 5 If you don't have Italian herbs, you can use Oregano, but use ½ the quantity, so the oregano doesn't overpower the dish
    • Note 6 We use the salt and pepper to season the mince and vegetables when we put the ingredients into the Slow Cooker at the start. We use additional cracked pepper for garnish when serving our dish. 
    • Note 7 I have both canola spray and olive oil spray in the cupboard. For a recipe like this where we are using the Slow Cooker then I recommend the olive oil spray. You can use either and they will both be fine, but the reason I do this is that we are not adding additional oil to the ingredients so I like to use the spray which is the closet to oil. Of the 2, the olive oil one achieves this. 
    • Note 8 You can cook your spaghetti about 10 mins before the end of the bolognese cook time in the Slow Cooker. Or you can turn the SC temperature to 'warm' and cook the spaghetti if the sauce is already done. 
    • Note 9 This is the fun part of the dish. The cracked pepper, parmesan and parsley add pops of colour to the spaghetti bolognese. If feeding a crowd at a big table, have small bowls of each nearby so people can garnish their own spaghetti as they please. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 1526mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1129IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 7mg
    Did you make this recipe? Share on Instagram!It makes my day when you make my recipes! Tag @sweetcaramelsunday
    Published Jan 2020, updated June 2020

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Neli Howard says

      January 29, 2020 at 12:50 pm

      5 stars
      That Looks So Delicious. Every Since I’ve Gotten Pregnant I Am Definitely A Big Fan Of Spaghetti So This Is Definitely Something That I know I Have To Try.

      Reply
      • Adrianne says

        January 30, 2020 at 7:50 am

        Congrats Neli!! Hope you try it and love it, enjoy, thanks!

    2. Veena Azmanov says

      January 29, 2020 at 1:20 pm

      5 stars
      Love the idea of the slow cooker option to making this delicious dish. Yummy food and Happy family.

      Reply
      • Adrianne says

        January 30, 2020 at 8:27 am

        Thanks Veena!! Appreciate your feedback, cheers.

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