Batch cook a delicious and healthy spaghetti bolognese in your slow cooker. Freeze the leftovers for easy midweek dinners when you're more pushed for time
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 6 smoked bacon rashers, chopped
- 1½kg lean minced beef (or use half beef, half pork mince)
- 4 onions, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, finely chopped
- 4 celery sticks, finely chopped
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed
- 500g mushrooms, sliced
- 4 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 6 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp dried mixed herbs
- 2 bay leaves
- large glass red wine (optional)
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- cooked spaghetti, to serve
- parmesan, to serve
Method
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Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the bacon and mince in batches until browned. Add to the slow cooker.
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Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato purée, herbs, wine (if using), vinegar, sugar and seasoning to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours, then uncover, turn to High and cook for another hour until thick and saucy.
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Serve with cooked spaghetti and grated or shaved parmesan. To cook this entire recipe on the hob, check out our big-batch bolognese recipe.