Spaghetti bolognese is a go-to dinner for many, with numerous variations in its preparation. It’s incredibly adaptable, allowing for the addition of various vegetables such as mushrooms, carrots, and celery. I often whip up a slow cooker spaghetti bolognese, taking inspiration from and tweaking Poppy Cooks’ recipe.
The recipe is fairly straightforward, yielding a mouth-watering bolognese that’s made even more flavourful with one secret ingredient: a Parmesan rind. The rind gradually infuses flavour throughout the cooking process, enhancing the depth of taste. Moreover, the rind contains collagen-like proteins that gently dissolve, lending the sauce a smoother, fuller texture.
This helps offset the acidity from the tomatoes and wine without overpowering the dish with a cheesy or dairy taste. You don’t need to slow-cook the meal to reap the benefits of the Parmesan rind. Incorporating it into your bolognese will yield similar results.
Slow cooker spaghetti bolognese recipe
Ingredients:
500g pork mince500g beef minceOne large onion, finely dicedTwo celery sticks, finely dicedThree tablespoons of tomato purée400g can of chopped tomatoes200ml red wine200ml beef stockHalf a teaspoon of sugarTwo bay leavesOne parmesan rindSplash of olive oil100ml whole milk300g spaghettiOne tablespoon of cornflour, slackened with water
Method
Begin by placing the pork, beef, onions, carrots, celery, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, red wine, stock, sugar, bay leaves, parmesan rind, a teaspoon of salt, a generous amount of pepper and a dash of olive oil into your slow cooker.
Set it to cook on low for eight to 10 hours, giving it a stir once or twice during this period. With an hour remaining on the timer, incorporate the milk.
Then, with half an hour left, add the spaghetti and increase the heat to high.
On occasion, I’ll cook the spaghetti separately, but once the meat is thoroughly cooked, mix in the cornflour slurry and drizzle in a good amount of olive oil. The resulting dish will be glossy and delectable, and you’ll be grateful for the added Parmesan rind.
