This pasta sauce could not be simpler to prepare. After you combine the ingredients in a slow cooker, the sauce simmers to savory perfection, ready to be tossed with cooked spaghetti.
Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
Ingredients
- 6 ounces bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more, to taste
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 pound spaghetti, cooked, water reserved
Preparation
- 1 In the stovetop-safe insert of a slow cooker over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Spoon off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.
- 2 Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and cook until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- 3 Add the ground beef and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- 4 Stir in the tomato paste, milk and the 1/3 cup cheese.
- 5 Place the insert on the slow-cooker base. Cover and cook on low according to the manufacturers instructions until the sauce thickens, about 4 hours. Skim the fat off the sauce. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
- 6 Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce along with enough pasta-cooking water to loosen the sauce and toss to combine.
- 7 Transfer to individual bowls and sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately.
