Slow Cooker Bolognese

Ingredients

• 600 g beef mince
• 1 brown onion (finely chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp Italian herbs (dried)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 400 g tinned tomatoes (crushed)
• 1 cup beef stock
• salt and pepper (to taste)
• 8 lasagna pasta sheets (broken into rough pieces)
• 1 cup water (up to 2 cups as needed)
• parmesan cheese (for serving)
• fresh herbs (for serving)

Steps

1. 1

   To the slow cooker add: beef mince, onion, garlic, dried Italian herbs, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and beef stock.

2. 2

   Season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and break up the mince as much as possible.

3. 3

   Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 7 hours, until the mince is cooked through and the flavours have developed.

4. 4

   Once the bolognese is thick and rich, stir in the broken lasagna sheets.

5. 5

   Press the pasta sheets gently into the sauce so they are fully submerged. Top up with water (1-2 cups).

6. 6

   Cover and cook on high for 50 minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once halfway through to prevent sticking.

7. 7

   Add a splash of additional stock or water if the sauce looks too thick.

8. 8

   Serve hot in bowls topped with parmesan and fresh herbs.

Notes

This recipe is freezer-friendly and doubles beautifully as a lasagna base or a rich sauce for other pasta dishes. No browning of the meat is required before adding to the slow cooker.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• slow-cooker
• beef
• pasta
• family-meal
• one-pot
• dinner