Crumble the raw ground beef as finely as you can. If you leave it in big pieces, it won’t cook thoroughly.
Mince the garlic and chop the onion into ½-inch dice (1.27 cm). Chop the celery and carrot into ¼-inch dice (0.6 cm) or smaller. It is important to chop the celery and carrot very small so they’ll soften faster with cooking.
Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C).
Carefully put the ground beef on about half of a heated air fryer tray. Place the onions, celery, carrot, and garlic on the other half of the tray. Drizzle olive oil over the veggies. Place the tray in the top rack position of the air fryer oven.
Air fry for 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C). Crumble the ground beef up a little more if needed. The carrots and celery won’t get too much softer in the sauce. Air fry them for a few more minutes if needed.
Line an 8-inch by 8-inch aluminum pan (20.3 by 20.3 cm) with parchment paper. Put the cooked meat and veggies in the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes, parsley, oregano, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Stir.
Cover the pan tightly with foil. Place on a rack in the middle of the air fryer and air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 35-45 minutes. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes.
Serve the Bolognese sauce over your favorite pasta or spiralized veggies, Top with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.