Slow Cooker Ragu Sauce (Printer-friendly)
Rich Italian meat sauce simmered slowly for deep, savory flavors, perfect for pairing with pasta.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 1.1 lb ground beef (or blend of beef and pork)
02 - 3.5 oz pancetta or smoked bacon, finely diced
→ Vegetables & Aromatics
03 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 carrots, peeled and diced
05 - 2 celery stalks, diced
06 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
→ Liquids
07 - 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
08 - 3 tbsp tomato paste
09 - ½ cup dry red wine
10 - ½ cup beef or chicken broth
→ Seasonings
11 - 2 tsp dried oregano
12 - 1 tsp dried basil
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
→ Finishing
16 - 2 tbsp olive oil
17 - Fresh parsley or basil, chopped, for garnish
# How to Make It:
01 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta, onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté until softened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
02 - Incorporate minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add ground beef (and pork if using) to skillet, breaking it apart with a spoon. Cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
04 - Move the cooked mixture into the slow cooker insert.
05 - Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, broth, oregano, basil, bay leaf, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine.
06 - Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours until sauce is thick and flavorful.
07 - Remove bay leaf and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot over pasta garnished with fresh parsley or basil.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It's genuinely hands-off once everything hits the slow cooker, leaving you free to live your life while dinner happens.
- The flavor deepens in a way that feels almost impossible given how little active cooking you're doing.
- It freezes beautifully, so you're essentially making future meals every time you make a batch.
02 -
- Don't skip browning the meat properly—that's where the deep, savory flavor comes from, and the slow cooker can't create it on its own.
- The sauce will look thin at first, but it thickens as it simmers; trust the process and resist the urge to add tomato paste halfway through.
- Always taste before serving and adjust seasoning—slow cooking can dull flavors slightly, so salt and pepper at the end make a real difference.
03 -
- If your slow cooker runs hot, check the sauce around the five-hour mark to make sure it isn't reducing too quickly.
- Stir it once or twice during cooking if you think of it, but it's not necessary—the beauty is that you can pretty much ignore it.