Slow Cooker Bolognese
Description
Keep things simple in the kitchen and make this Italian-inspired meat sauce!
Ingredients
Serves: 4 to 6
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large white onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
½ cup diced celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
Melt the butter in a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, until the pieces just begin to glisten in the butter. Add carrots and celery and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and parsley and cook for 1 more minute. Transfer the contents of the skillet to a large, 6-quart, slow cooker.
Stir in the ground beef, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. If possible, stir occasionally during the cooking process to prevent the thick sauce from gathering and blackening around the sides of the bowl.
Transfer to a bowl to serve over pasta, vegetables, or as a filling for sandwiches.
Special notes
Recipe and images by Lori Rice for the National Onion Association.