Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce (meat or vegetarian!)
Posted: 11/30/2020
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Start crockpot spaghetti sauce in the morning and forget about it all day. At dinner time, cook up a big pot of pasta and enjoy an absolutely delicious homemade spaghetti dinner.
Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This recipe is a delicious slow-simmered sauce that’s hands-off.
How long it takes: 3-4 hours on High OR 6-8 hours on Low.
Equipment you’ll need: skillet, slow cooker
Servings: makes 9 cups
If you’re used to spaghetti sauce from a jar, you’re in for a very pleasant surprise. Homemade is so much better! Yeah, yeah, you knew I was going to say that, I know.
But it’s so true! Sauce from a jar just falls flat in comparison to homemade. There’s a little more work involved with homemade. Obviously, you can’t get much easier than opening a jar although even when I do use sauce from a jar, I find myself adding all sorts of stuff to doctor it up so it tastes better.
But there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of adding a little bit of this, a little bit of that to the pan and then letting that spaghetti sauce simmer, simmer, simmer while the house fills up with the smell of an Italian restaurant and everyone is just eagerly anticipating dinnertime because they’ve been captivated by that wonderful smell of sauce cooking all. day. long!
Spaghetti sauce is healthy, too, with lots of the antioxidant lycopene. And when you make your own, you know exactly what’s in it, no added preservatives, sodium, or “natural flavor.”
So enjoy! Don’t wait for a special occasion. Make a big crockpot full of spaghetti sauce, invite friends and family, and feast on a homemade spaghetti dinner. Serve it with fresh warm bread and olive oil dipping sauce. A glass of red wine would be very nice, too.
About This Recipe
The recipe for this crockpot spaghetti sauce is very similar to my popular stovetop spaghetti sauce. There are two differences: you make this sauce in your slow cooker and I’ve added meat to the recipe. The advantage of this recipe is that you can make the sauce in the morning (or right after lunch) and forget about while your slow cooker does all the work.
Not sure what time you’re going to be eating dinner? No problem, the sauce can simmer until you’re ready. Perfect for those days when you’re flying around doing errands, going to games, swimming lessons, or whatever is on your agenda for the day.
What You’ll Need
- Meat of Your Choice: ground beef, ground turkey, Italian sausage (or none at all!)
- Onion and Garlic
- Lots of Tomatoes: tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes
- Sugar: just a hint to balance all the acidity of the tomatoes
- Red Pepper Flakes: for a suggestion of warmth
- Dried Herbs: oregano, thyme, bay leaf
- Fresh Herbs: basil and parsley
- Butter: little extra richness
- Salt: to taste (have you ever noticed how much sodium is in a jar of spaghetti sauce? Whew!)
Look for specific measurements, instructions, and nutrition information on the recipe card below.
FAQs
Can I add red wine to this recipe?
Sure, wine adds another delicious dimension of flavor to your sauce. Use a dry, fruity red wine such as Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Chianti, or Sangiovese, just to name a few. Use a red wine that you would drink but don’t pour in an expensive wine.
How to do it: Add a half cup to a cup of wine to the pan after the meat has browned and continue to cook until the wine has reduced almost completely. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
Can you use jar sauces in a slow cooker?
If you prefer a jar sauce or don’t have time to mess around with making your own, simply substitute a jar or two of your favorite sauce for the sauce ingredients. If you want to add meat, simply brown the meat and vegetables as directed and add it to the sauce in the crockpot. Let it simmer on Low or High until it’s heated through and you’re ready to serve it.
How To Make This Recipe
It’s easy. You can cook it all day (6 to 8 hours) on Low or just for the afternoon (3 to 4 hours on High).
Begin the sauce by cooking the meat and onions in a large skillet. Break up any large chunks of meat. Add the garlic, sauté for a minute, then add the tomato paste, stirring and cooking briefly.
Scrape the contents of the skillet into the crockpot, along with all the canned tomatoes, sugar, dried herbs, and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer until you’re ready for dinner, then stir in fresh chopped basil and parsley, and a pat of butter. That’s it!
Make It Your Own
- No slow cooker? You can easily make this sauce on the stovetop in a large heavy pan or Dutch oven. You’ll have to give it a stir now and then as it simmers for one to three hours.
- Choose whatever pasta you like best: fettuccini, linguine, pappardelle, rigatoni, penne, whole wheat or regular.
- Try a gluten-free pasta, Instant Pot polenta, or zucchini noodles if you prefer, instead of regular pasta.
- Looking for vegetarian spaghetti sauce? Simply omit the meat and proceed with the recipe.
- Like meatballs instead of ground meat? Try these baked turkey meatballs.
- If you’re on a diary-free diet, omit the butter.
- Have a surplus of fresh tomatoes? Peel the tomatoes and use them instead of the crushed tomatoes. If your tomatoes are really juicy, squeeze some of the juice and seeds out before adding them to the sauce.
Make-Ahead Ideas
Know you’re going to have a busy morning and not sure if you’ll have time in the morning to get this meal in the crockpot? Fry up the ground meat, onions, garlic, and tomato paste a day ahead and refrigerate it. Measure out the seasonings and set them aside so they are ready to go. In the morning, you’ll be able to get the sauce in the crockpot in 5 minutes or so.
This recipe makes a big batch of sauce! Use freezer safe containers to freeze extra sauce up to three months for dinners in the future.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Leftover sauce will keep three to four days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge for best results.
Reheat sauce gently in a saucepan or the crockpot.
Use leftover spaghetti sauce to stuff spaghetti squash for another great dinner. Or try easy baked spaghetti pie from Recipe Girl.
More Slow Cooker Ideas
Using your crockpot on busy days is such a timesaver. The work is all done in the morning — fix and forget! Try:
- Slow Cooker Texas Chili : the best crockpot chili!
- Crockpot Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- CrockPot Cheesy Potatoes
- Crockpot Stuffing Recipe — save precious oven space on Thanksgiving!
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Crockpot Mac and Cheese (ready in just 2 hours)
- Slow Cooker Pork Loin with balsamic glaze
- Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast (serve it with Instant Pot Polenta!)
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Start crockpot spaghetti sauce in the morning and forget about it all day. At dinner time, cook up a big pot of pasta and enjoy an absolutely delicious homemade spaghetti dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef, ground turkey, or Italian sausage
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon minced garlic)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce (preferably no salt added sauce)
- 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil (or 1 tablespoon dried basil)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown meat and onions, breaking meat up as it cooks. Cook until meat is cooked through and onions are translucent. Add garlic and continue to cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until incorporated.
- Add meat mixture to slow cooker along with crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Immediately before serving, stir in basil, parsley, and butter. Stir until butter melts. Taste, and add salt if desired.
- Serve over cooked pasta of your choice.
Notes
- Nutrition information is calculated using 1.5 lbs. ground beef (90/10). You may choose to use more or less ground meat, as desired.
- No slow cooker? Make this sauce on the stovetop in a large heavy pan or Dutch oven. Simmer it for one to three hours, stirring occasionally.
- Try a gluten-free pasta, polenta, or zucchini noodles if you prefer, instead of regular pasta.
- Looking for vegetarian spaghetti sauce? Simply omit the meat and proceed with the recipe.
- Omit butter for dairy-free spaghetti sauce.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 15g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 49mg, Sodium: 561mg, Potassium: 823mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 785IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 74mg, Iron: 4mg
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
SL says
I liked this recipe. Since I’m vegetarian and wanted some extra protein, I added a pound of brown lentils (uncooked) to the pot, as well as about 4-5 cups of water depending on the amount of liquid you like in your sauce. If you’re not too picky about having the smooth pasta sauce consistency, I would highly recommend this. It took a little bit long to cook (4-5 hours on high instead of 3-4). I also doubled the spices/herbs and it turned out very flavorful in a good way.
Rachel Gurk says
Love that idea! You should check out our vegan bolognese, too! It’s so good.
Shoba says
I made this spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker and it was quite marvellous!! I added a pound of chopped Italian sausage and a small habanero for spice. Another wonderful recipe. Thank you, Rachel
Rachel Gurk says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for leaving a review!
Tina Piazza says
I do not use sugar in spahgetti sauce if you what to cut acidity add a pinch of baking soda! It works and no sugar which i hate seeing in in everything!!!!!!!! I don’t but anything that has sugar added or products that are made with water in the first 3 ingrediants. check labels all national brands of condiments and salad dressings are water!!!!! I DO NOT BUY there are other companys that make better
Rachel Gurk says
Ingredient lists do definitely vary from product to product. I like the sugar in this sauce, and it’s a very small amount, but you can absolutely leave it out of you’d like.
Brenda Schenck says
Awesome…hoping to try this very soon!…Big Thank you that I can now Import your recipes directly to my OrganizEat App!
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you love it!