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Melanie’s Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce

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750 gr ground beef, 250 gr pork (or all ground beef)
1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 ½ celery stalks, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, grated
1 tblsp garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
100 gr chopped bacon (optional)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried Italian spiced
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon all spice
¼ teaspoon dry chili flakes
1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
1 cup red wine (or beef stock)
3 tomatoes diced in processor
2 bay leaves
½ jar tomato basil pasta sauce

To serve:
Spaghetti cooked el dente
Shredded Parmesan cheese & parsley

METHOD
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and cook until the onion is translucent and all the vegetables have softened.
Add the garlic and the tomato paste, and cook until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the beef, breaking it apart with wooden spoon and cooking until it is just browned. Add the bacon.
Stir in 1 teaspoon salt along with the other herbs and spices. Add the tomatoes and wine/stock cook 10 minutes.
Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the pasta sauce and the milk.
Add the bay leaf to the slow cooker and stir everything together. The mixture should have a thick, saucy consistency, neither overly soupy or too dry.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. The finished sauce should be thick and creamy.
Serve the sauce over pasta with Parmesan sprinkled on top.
(This sauce also freezes very well).
I added mushrooms 20 minutes before finishing time.

I’ve always maintained (and was taught) that a good authentic Bolognese sauce must be cooked long and slow. So I made mine in the slow cooker, served with Spaghetti. Enjoy.

Prepared, tried and tested by: Melanie Kramar‎

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