Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

This slow cooker spaghetti sauce recipe is a set it and forget it dream for homemade spaghetti sauce! Honestly, there is no easier way to make spaghetti sauce than in a slow cooker. Making Crockpot spaghetti sauce happens as fast as you can add the ingredients to the Crock Pot and push the start button!

Serve slow cooker spaghetti with a side of salad dressed with an easy Homemade Italian Dressing and some No Knead Bread for the perfect dinner. For dessert, add a simple and delicious Raspberry Rhubarb Crisp.

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How To Cook Spaghetti Sauce

The critical part of a spaghetti recipe is the sauce. I learned from my mom years ago that the secret is slow cooking the sauce so that all the Italian seasonings are mellowed nicely into the sauce. What better way to slow cook spaghetti sauce than in a Crock Pot.

This spaghetti meat sauce is the best homemade spaghetti sauce you can make with such little effort. Here’s how easy it is:

1. Brown the meat in a frying pan. I like to use the meat chopper to easily break up the frozen ground beef and help brown it and cook it quickly. Once the meat is browned, add it to the slow cooker.
2. Slice the onions, and add to the slow cooker.
3. Add seasonings.
4. Add cans of mushrooms, tomato paste, and tomatoes.
5. Set it and forget it!

The seasonings in this Crockpot spaghetti recipe are similar to our Italian Dressing Mix, so if you are in a hurry, grab the Italian dressing mix from the cupboard and add 4 Tablespoons of this mix to the Crockpot in place of the seasonings. 

If you like smaller pieces of tomatoes, substitute one or both of the cans of whole tomatoes with diced tomatoes. Or, after the spaghetti sauce is ready, break up the whole tomatoes with a wooden spoon or a clean meat chopper. Personally, I love how the whole tomatoes roast in the slow cooker and love to eat them whole!

I like to start the Crock Pot in the morning, and by dinner time, everyone who walks into the house will know what we are having for dinner. Mmmmmm – yummy spaghetti! It’s one of the easy spaghetti recipes that’s as good as mom’s homemade spaghetti! 

How To Properly Cook Pasta

Growing up we used to enjoy going to the Old Spaghetti Factory. When I was a kid we got invited into the kitchen to see where all the magic happens. I still remember the lessons I learned on how to cook spaghetti. The chef would demonstrate how the spaghetti noodle was perfectly cooked if it would stick to the wall and he threw a few pieces against the wall. I thought it was so cool. I wouldn’t recommend that now, especially to my littles.

Boil water and add about a Tablespoon of salt. Add spaghetti and stir immediately to avoid noodles sticking together. Always check about 1 minute earlier than the recommended cook time to make sure it doesn’t overcook. Remove spaghetti when it’s al dente. in other words, cooked and still firm. Taste test is best to tell if it is cooked correctly and ready to eat. No mushy spaghetti noodles here.

Drain, and do not rinse the pasta before serving. Do not add oil either. Rinsing or adding oil to the pasta doesn’t allow the sauce to adhere to the pasta as well, so simply add spaghetti to your bowl or plate, and top with spaghetti sauce. Garnish with freshly cracked pepper, parsley, and parmesan cheese if desired. 

What Kind of Pasta Recipes Can I Cook in The Crockpot?

This easy Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce contains ground beef and could be used as a starter with many variations. To make a play on a Crockpot spaghetti bolognese, chop the onion, and cook on low with chopped celery and carrots until slightly cooked. Add it to the Crock Pot with some wine. Serve over spaghetti noodles and imagine that you’re in Italy for a moment!

Other Crock Pot pasta recipes you may like to try:

• Crockpot chicken spaghetti – replace the beef with ground chicken
• Crockpot turkey spaghetti – replace the ground beef with turkey
• Crockpot spaghetti and meatballs – add your favorite meatballs in place of  the ground beef 

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