8-Hour Slow Cooker Bolognese

I really, really like my slow cooker. I find it useful for days when I've got a bit of time on my hands during the day, then I'm busy in the evening (often the case on a Monday as I do voluntary work in the evening). This way I get to actually enjoy cooking something nice and it's ready when I want it, ideal after a long and challenging evening of volunteering.

My bolognese is really simple, it's 6 ingredients (plus peas which are entirely optional). 

750g 10% fat beef mince
3 carrots
3 onions (red, brown, whatever)
2 x 400g approx chopped tomatoes (yes there's only one in the picture but I do use 2)
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
400ml stock (I use whatever's in the cupboard, be it beef or chicken or anything)

I like to prep the ingredients separately, then assemble the sauce in the slow cooker. I used to soften the onions, brown the beef then add the other ingredients in the pan before transferring to the slow cooker. I've now started softening the onions until they look like this...

...then putting them in the slow cooker before browning the beef in the same pan with no added cooking oil, I just fry it in its own fat. The advantage of doing it this way is that when the beef goes in the slow cooker I put it in with a slotted spoon and all the fat stays in the pan, which is great considering I've got a wedding dress fitting at the end of the month so I'm counting every calorie.

I mean just look at how much fat is left behind in the pan which would've ended up on the plate if I'd stuck to assembling it all in one pan. And that's with no additional cooking oil, just the fat from the meat. Makes me feel a tiny bit sick looking at it.

Anyway at this point I add the tomatoes, stock and carrots and leave it to cook on Medium for 8 hours, then serve it however I feel like. Usually with spaghetti :)