Slow-Cooker Bolognese Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta Recipe

Rich Bolognese Sauce slowly made in a crockpot for an easy Italian meat sauce recipe.

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Slow-Cooker Bolognese Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta Recipe

Few meals are as comforting as this Slow Cooker Bolognese, with its rich, creamy meat sauce clinging to every ribbon of tender pappardelle, finished simply with a sprinkling of grated cheese and fresh parsley.

Prep Time40

Cook Time6

Total Time6 40

Course: Dinner, Main Course, Main Course Meat and Pasta, Main Course Pasta

Cuisine: American-Italian, Italian, Mediterranean

Servings: Servings

Calories: 505kcal

Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

Equipment

Ingredients

1 medium-size yellow onion finely chopped
2 celery ribs finely chopped
1 medium carrot finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
Pinch red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 bay leaf
½ cup red wine
2 28-oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes - SAN MARZANO PREFERRED
⅔ cup heavy cream
1 pound pappardelle pasta or wide fettuccine
Freshly shaved or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Italian parsley - chopped for sprinkling on top

Instructions

Sauté first 3 ingredients in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Transfer to a 6-qt. slow cooker.
Add beef to skillet, and cook, stirring often, 7 minutes or until crumbled and no longer pink; drain. Stir in kosher salt and next 5 ingredients. Stir in wine, and cook, stirring occasionally, 7 minutes or until almost all liquid evaporates. Add to slow cooker, and stir to combine.
Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid. Using your hands, crush tomatoes, and break them apart. Add to slow cooker, and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours. Stir in cream. Check sauce; it should be thick and creamy. (If soupy, uncover and cook 30 more minutes. If dry, stir in reserved canned tomato liquid, 1 Tbsp. at a time, to thin sauce.) Discard bay leaf.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Toss together pasta and 4 cups sauce. (Reserve remaining sauce for another use.) Spoon into serving dishes, and sprinkle with desired amount of cheese and the fresh chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

👩🏻‍🍳 Tips

Use any leftover Italian meat sauce to make easy Sloppy Joes. You can also enjoy leftover meat sauce slathered over baked or mashed potatoes, or use it as a delicious filling in lasagna, on grilled cheese sandwiches, and in chili dogs.
Let the dish rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving so the pasta absorbs extra flavor.
Always cook the pasta fresh and serve the meat sauce over it. Don't add the pasta to the slow cooker; it will turn mushy.
Don't dump the canned tomato juice down the sink! Reserve it all. You may need it to thin the sauce at the end.
You can easily make this bolognese sauce a day ahead, cool it, refrigerate it, and reheat it gently the next day. The flavors meld and deepen beautifully.

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