Ragu alla Bolognese

SERVES: 8

PREP: 16 Min

COOK TIME: 8 Hr 30 Min

We know, we know — the name sounds really fancy. But don't you worry because that doesn't mean it's difficult to make. In fact, it's a slow cooker recipe, so it's even easier to make than you might think. We tell you exactly what ingredients you'll need, and you won't have to do much more than just throw 'em into your slow cooker. Come back a few hours later and voila! You've got a restaurant-quality dish made from scratch.

What You'll Need

1 pound lean ground beef (see note)
1 pound ground pork (see note)
1 (8-ounce) container chopped onion, celery, and green bell pepper (see note)
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 teaspoon prepared minced garlic
2 (14-1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes in sauce
1/2 cup dry red wine or beef broth
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup milk
1 pound uncooked fettuccine

What to Do

Cook first 5 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until the meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and place in a 3-1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker.
Stir tomatoes and next 4 ingredients into meat mixture. Cover and cook on LOW setting 8 hours. Stir in milk; cover and cook 30 more minutes.
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Serve sauce over pasta.

Notes

Bolognese is a thick Italian pasta sauce that's made from ground meat, tomatoes, celery, and carrots and seasoned with garlic and herbs. You can find pre-chopped onion, celery, and green bell pepper in a container in the produce section of your supermarket. Some supermarkets have a pre-mixed meat loaf mixture available. Feel free to use that in place of the ground beef and pork-just be sure the meat loaf mixture doesn't contain bread crumbs.