I love a recipe that I can simmer all day in the slow cooker. There’s something about pasta sauce or chili slowly cooking in your crock pot that just feels like fall. Your house feels cozy with the added warmth and smell of cooking food, and you have the perfect warm dinner ready to go at the end of the day as it’s starting to get dark outside. This slow cooker pumpkin Bolognese is perfect for fall with its subtle sweetness thanks to the addition of a whole can of pumpkin. The pumpkin adds a bit of creaminess to the sauce, and the natural sweetness of the pumpkin is the perfect pair to acidic tomatoes.
This recipe is simple, you start by browning your Italian sausage and ground beef and adding the onion and garlic. Transfer this mixture to your crock pot, then add the remaining ingredients. Tomato sauce, pumpkin, diced tomatoes and all your favorite Italian seasonings are added before you cook your pasta sauce all day. Typically when I make a slow cooker pasta sauce like this pumpkin Bolognese, I like to set my slow cooker to the “low” setting and cook it all day. But since your meat is all fully cooked, you can eat this after a few hours if you’re in a rush. This recipe also makes a large batch of sauce, so feel free to freeze half of it to enjoy anytime!
I always like to top my pasta with fresh herbs to add a bit of a flavor punch. Here I used fresh oregano because it’s what I had, but basil ribbons would also be perfect. You can serve this easy slow cooker pasta sauce over any noodle that you want. Sometimes with my kids, it’s easier for them to have a noodle like penne or rigatoni, but I love long noodles to drag through the sauce. Here, I used fettuccini. I’m a sucker for a fun pasta shape, use whatever your favorite is!
- 1 lb. mild Italian sausage
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz. canned tomato sauce
- 15 oz. canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 15 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. ground dried thyme
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- Pasta of choice for serving
- Fresh herbs for topping, optional
- Parmesan cheese for topping, optional
- In a large skillet, brown sausage and ground beef, breaking into pieces as it cooks. Add onions and garlic and cook until translucent.
- Transfer the meat mixture to your slow cooker. Add tomato sauce, pumpkin, diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine.
- Set your slow cooker to "low" and cook for 8-10 hours. You can also do more or less but this is my favorite time for maximum flavor!
- Serve over your favorite pasta. Top with fresh basil or oregano and parmesan cheese, if desired.
- Enjoy!
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