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Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

Homemade spaghetti sauce is one of those “basics” every cook should have in their collection. Gosh knows, recipes abound depending on tastes, ethnic background as well as amount of time available for cooking. Well here is mine. Simple, flavorful and best of all, there is no slaving over the stove for hours as the simmering process takes place right in your crockpot!
Author: Linda Shapiro, © Meal Planning Maven

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 carrots peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 large onions chopped (less if you prefer)
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef can also use ground turkey
  • 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped, undrained
  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 1/2 cups cut-up fresh tomatoes about 1 pound or 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 28 ounce bottle marinara sauce (without sugar)
  • 1 6 ounce can tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • Pepper or crushed red pepper flakes to taste optional (I didn’t use)

Instructions

Crockpot:

  • in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté carrots and onions for about 5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned. Stir in garlic; continuing sautéing for 1 minute.
  • Add ground beef; continue sautéing for about 5 minutes or until browned and crumbled. Drain off any accumulated fat.
  • Transfer vegetable-ground beef mixture to a 6-quart crockpot. Stir in remaining ingredients.
  • Cover and cook on High setting for 1 hour and Low setting for about 6 hours or until sauce has thickened. (Can also cook on Low setting for about 7 hours.) Reduce heat to Keep Warm until serving time. As crockpots vary, adjust cooking time if needed.
  • Remove bay leaves. Taste; adjust salt and seasonings as desired .

Notes

Make Ahead and Storage Tips: if desired, this dish may be prepared in the crockpot (and not cooked) up to 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Cook as directed; allowing additional time as mixture will be cold. (probably up to an hour longer) Leftovers may be reheated in the crockpot on Low, stirring occasionally, for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until hot. For faster reheating, transfer to a large pot; cook over medium-low heat (covered) for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sauce may be frozen for up to 4 months.
Rather make on the stove-top? In a 6-quart stockpot, sauté vegetables and ground beef as above; ; stir in remaining ingredients. Cover; cook over medium-low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Uncover, simmer for about 45 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
This sauce is quite versatile! Great served over any type of pasta, rice, greens or spaghetti squash. If you prefer, you may use lean ground turkey instead of ground beef. Leftovers would be yummy on a “Sloppy Joe” or even a pizza!
Mushroom lovers variation! Add 8 ounces of your favorite sliced mushrooms to crockpot along with vegetable-ground beef mixture.
This recipe makes a bunch! Consider freezing meal sized containers for time-crunched nights.
Looking for great gluten-free pasta? Try any of the pastas made by Lundberg or Tinkyada.
A fun and yummy meal using leftover sauce is Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Boats. Simply ladle hot spaghetti sauce into roasted spaghetti squash halves. Top with half with your favorite shredded cheeses. Place halves on a cookie sheet with sides. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. To brown cheese a bit, broil for about 30 seconds.