Last weekend I made this easy and tasty bolognese sauce in my crock pot. The original recipe came from Martha Stewart’s Slow Cooker cookbook but I changed it just slightly to fit my preferences. It was so good and made enough sauce for four meals! I think I might make some to freeze because after eating this, I really don’t want to go back to jarred pasta sauce. I also think it would taste just as good meatless or with a protein substitute if you wanted to make it vegetarian.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (I used the garlic from the jar that’s already minced for you)
4 carrots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of fresh thyme
1/2 lb. of ground beef (recipe calls for 1 1/2 but I only had 1/2 and it worked out fine for me – you could always add more if you prefer)
1 lb. ground pork (I also omitted this)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (I used crushed for a smoother sauce; recipe calls for diced)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup red wine (I omitted this because I don’t have wine on hand and wasn’t going to buy a bottle specifically for this sauce)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic, carrots and thyme and cook until tender – about 6 minutes.
Transfer to slow cooker.
In same skillet, brown ground beef and pork if you’re using that too. When ground beef/pork is done, add tomatoes, wine, milk, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed well.
Transfer to slow cooker, cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6. Serve over any kind of pasta and enjoy! Tastes even better the second day.