Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

This slow cooker spaghetti bolognese is one of my go-to family meals for busy days. Browning the mince first adds extra flavour, then the slow cooker does the rest, resulting in a rich, comforting sauce with very little hands-on time.

Made using gluten-free and lactose-free ingredients, this is a simple, everyday dinner that doesn’t compromise on flavour.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Bolognese Sauce

• 500 g beef mince
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 3 large mushrooms sliced
• 400 g carton chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 200 ml beef stock (make with 1 stock cube)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 lactose-free Parmesan cheese rind
• 30 g lactose-free Parmesan (stirred in near the end) grated
• salt and black pepper

To Serve

• gluten-free spaghetti
• lactose-free Parmesan cheese (optional) grated
• fresh basil leaves

Method

 

Brown the mince

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and beef mince and cook for around 5 minutes, breaking up the mince well, until it has changed colour.
2. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.
3. Transfer the mince mixture to the slow cooker.

Slow cooker cooking

1. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried basil, bay leaf, Parmesan rind, and a pinch of salt and black pepper to the slow cooker.
2. Stir everything together well, put the lid on, and cook on medium for 5 hours.
3. About halfway through the cooking time, add the sliced mushrooms and stir to combine.
4. Around 20 minutes before the end of cooking, stir in the grated Parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
5. Remove and discard the Parmesan rind and bay leaf before serving. If the sauce has produced excess liquid, spoon a little off if needed.

Serve

1. Serve the bolognese with freshly cooked gluten-free spaghetti and finish with a sprinkle of lactose-free Parmesan and fresh basil leaves, if desired.

Notes

• A Parmesan rind adds extra depth of flavour to the sauce as it cooks. Parmesan rinds are naturally salty, so taste the bolognese before adding any extra salt towards the end of cooking.
• Slow cookers can vary, so cooking times are a guide. If your sauce looks thinner than you’d like, you can spoon off a little excess liquid before serving or leave it uncovered on a higher setting for a short time to reduce.
• This bolognese is made using gluten-free and lactose-free ingredients and is ideal for batch cooking or leftovers.