Slow cooking this bolognese recipe really helps to infuse all the flavours of the tomatoes and the beef making the most delicious bolognese sauce with a full 2 portions of vegetables per serving.

Ingredients

  • 2kg Beef Mince £9.16
  • 1kg Cooking Bacon £1.79
  • 1kg Carrots 65p
  • 1kg Onions 99p
  • 1kg Mushrooms £1.89
  • 3 Tins Chopped Tomatoes £1.05
  • 1 Bulb Garlic 24p
  • Tomato Puree 59p
  • 4 Beef Stock Cubes 22p
  • Worcestershire Sauce 85p

Total Cost = £17.43

Makes 21 servings = 85p per serving

Food purchased from Aldi, UK

How to Make Slow Cooker Bolognese

Start by mincing the garlic bulb.  I use a food processor to make this super quick and easy.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Then dice the onions, again I use the food processor but you can do it by hand, it just takes a little longer,

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Fry them up in a big frying pan with high sides so you can fit everything in.

Once the onions and garlic are soft pop them in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Fry the mince in the same pan – no need to make extra washing up.

Once that’s started to brown add it to the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Then peel and grate the carrot.  I got a food processor mostly for this job, I used to do it with a cheese grater and it took AGES.  

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Add three beef stock cubes. You can use homemade beef stock instead, if you have it.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

And a tube of tomato puree.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Then three tins of chopped tomatoes.  If you wanted to reduce the cost of this recipe you can add extra tins.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Then add a small bottle of Worcestershire sauce.  You can make this bolognese recipe without the Worcestershire sauce but I highly recommend adding it as it brings a whole new dimension to the flavour of the recipe.

Set the slow cooker to low and leave it for about 6 – 8 hours. You could set it to high for 4 hours if you’re in a rush but I do recommend that you cook this bolognese low and slow to really let those flavours fuse.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

Cut the bacon into little chunks and fry them. Use cooking bacon instead of rashers, it’s a fraction of the price and very often the bacon is of a much better quality too.

Add the bacon bits to the bolognese mixture.

I’ve found the flavour of the bacon really shines if you fry it separately and add it into the mix at the end of the cooking time instead of slow cooking the bacon.

Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook
Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe – Budget Batch Cook

The same goes for the mushrooms, dice and fry them separately.

This not only helps to preserve the flavour but it also helps to fit this massive recipe into a large slow cooker.  If you tried to cook all the ingredients at once in the slow cooker it would overflow and that can damage your slow cooker, not to mention make a right mess.  Cooking the bacon and mushrooms separately means you can mix them with the bolognese after cooking so that you can remove some of the mixture if it’s about to overflow.

Traditionally this recipe is eaten with spaghetti of course but I tend to serve it with smaller pastas as I find they make less mess and are easier to cook in a smaller pan.

And of course it needs to be served with a sprinkling of cheese!

How to Stretch Your Budget EVEN Further!

Skip the Worcestershire Sauce

If you’re on a super tight budget you can skip the Worcestershire sauce. It’s still a perfectly nice dish without the Worcestershire sauce but oh my word the sauce takes it to a whole other level of deliciousness.

Skip the Bacon

You could also skip the bacon and mushrooms but this would reduce the number of portion sizes so it might actually increase the cost per portion.

Use Frozen Mince

Frozen mince is usually quite a lot cheaper than the fresh mince I’ve used. However it does tend to contain more water than fresh mince, so your meal won’t be as hearty. I find it tends to disintegrate during cooking leaving an unpleasant texture. I also find that the cheapest frozen mince often has an unpleasant aftertaste. So personally I always buy fresh mince if I can. There have been times in my life when I have had to resort to buying the cheaper frozen mince and the dish is still perfectly edible, nice even just nothing like as nice as when made with fresh mince.

Use Full Fat Mince

To keep the cost of my meat down I buy the full fat mince. For starters it’s cheaper than the reduced fat versions. It also saves you even more because you don’t need to use extra oil for frying. The animal fat that’s naturally in the meat is much, much better for you than the cheap vegetable oil used for frying lower fat mince.

How to Make Slow Cooker Bolognese without Kitchen Gadgets

Cooking Without a Slow Cooker

It is perfectly possible to make this Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe with the most basic kitchen equipment, a sharp knife, chopping board and a big pan. Cook it on the hob over a low heat for at least two hours. You’ll need to stir it frequently to stop it burning to the bottom of the pan. It’s much easier in a slow cooker where you can just throw in the ingredients then ignore it all day. I got my first slow cooker at a second hand shop, there are often second hand slow cookers in very good condition readily availible, so it doesn’t need to cost you a lot of money to invest in one.

Cooking in a slow cooker is also one of the cheapest ways to cook in terms of energy usage. A slow cooker uses much, much less energy than using a hob or an oven.

Cooking Without a Food Processor

Likewise this Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe can be made without the use of a food processor. In fact I’ve been making this recipe for about 20 years and I’ve only had a food processor for the last two years. It does take me about an hour less thanks to my food processor, so I’d definitely recommend using one if you can. Like most of my kitchen gadgets, mine was second hand. I think it’s actually about as old as I am!

I do hope you have enjoyed having a peak at my Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe.

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Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipe - Budget Batch Cook

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A Little Bit About Me . . .

Thank you so much for stopping by my corner little of the interweb. I’m Bridie, mum to two small humans, full time homemaker and full time craftaholic – which totally explains why I’m always short on time!

Bridie @ Heart Hearth and Crafting

I’ve included links to my favourite retailers for the products I’ve used to make my crafts. Click on any of the product images and links for full details. If you decide to buy any of these products I may get a small percentage of what you spend. There’s no cost to you at all.

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