This easy Crockpot Spaghetti is perfect for busy weeknights! Loaded with fresh veggies and flavor, this is one recipe the whole family will love! Freezes well too! We love serving up this easy spaghetti sauce with a batch of The BEST Dinner Rolls or Cheesy Bacon Ranch Bread!
Crockpot Spaghetti
Some days all I want is pasta. Lots of it with a big salad and a hunk of bread smeared with butter. No. I’ve never gone on a carb-free diet and won’t be…EVER. This summer I made my own spaghetti sauce and it was kind of life-altering. It really wasn’t that hard and it was SO good! I have a few jars left and I’m saving them for a special occasion 🙂 Now obviously I don’t have time every day to make up my own sauce but what I do have time for is to throw it all in my slow cooker and let it do the work for me – cause I’m nice like that 😉
So here’s the deal. This sauce has A LOT of veggies in it. Like TONS! {No, it is definitely not a vegetarian recipe -we’re meat eaters up in here but you could totally make it all veggies.} There is a bit of time needed to do all the chopping and prepping so I recommend you tackle that at night, NOT first thing in the morning when things are crazy hectic. Saute up the veggies and brown the meat the night before. In the morning, toss it all in with the rest of the ingredients and you’re golden! Dinner is served!
Here’s another hint: If your kids have an aversion to vegetables {WHAT???} – do a nice small dice on the veggies and they virtually disappear in the sauce. You can feel good knowing that your kids are getting a ridiculous amount of nutrients in their spaghetti and they can just enjoy the “sketti” and get on with their evening.
Even better is the fact that this recipe makes lots of sauce so I usually end up freezing a couple quarts for future meals. To use, let sauce defrost in fridge, pour into a saucepan and heat. So basically, I just totally saved you tons of time. Three healthy dinners, one slow cooker – yeah, you owe me 😉
How To Make Crockpot Spaghetti
Crockpot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions chopped
- 3 bell peppers chopped
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 stalk of celery sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb Italian Sausage
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 28 oz tomato sauce
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes Italian recipe
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1-2 cups water
- cooked spaghetti
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add onions, bell peppers, shallot, carrot, celery and garlic and cook until tender and onion is translucent. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Brown sausage and ground beef in the same skillet, drain fat, and transfer to slow cooker.
- Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper, sugar, and Italian seasoning.
- Add one cup of water and stir. Liquids do not evaporate in the slow cooker so if the sauce is still too thick, add water, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce reaches desired consistency.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Serve over hot cooked spaghetti.
Notes
Nutrition
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Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says
Is it necessary to cook the meat beforehand? Wouldn’t it cook while being in the slow cooker for so long (if I add it in raw)? I’m just wondering if the step is necessary.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I cook the meat before hand so I can drain the fat. You can skip that step but you will end up with a greasier sauce. I used a 5 qt slow cooker for this recipe. Good luck!
Lacey says
You can chop your veggies in the food processor and you don’t really need to sauté them first. I make spaghetti sauce in the crock all the time with added veggies. This is a good recipe, I’m going to give it a try!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Sounds like a great time-saver Lacey – thank you!
Lisa says
This looks SO good! Coming over to visit from Melt in Your Mouth Monday. Please stop by and link this up with my “Try a New Recipe Tuesday.” I’d love to have you join us. 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you so much Lisa!
Ashley @ Kitchen Meets Girl says
Oh, I love this idea!! I’m always desperate to sneak some good veggies into my kiddo, and this looks awesome.
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says
Pinned and will make when I buy a slow cooker!
Cranberry Morning says
Looks delicious, and I know what you mean about those days when all you want is carbs! lol I think the colder the outdoor temp gets, the more carbs I crave. 🙂
Leslie says
This looks fantastic! Pinning to my slow cooker board!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Awesome! Thanks Leslie!
Roberta says
Looks delish and so easy! For those that want more veggie-value, replace the pasta with spaghetti squash.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Absolutely! Great suggestion Roberta!
Holly Lefevre says
Love this-love any way I can get veggies in…pinned, stumbled, FB!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you Holly!
Carole @The Sweet Chick says
Stopping by to say hi from Online BlogCon. This sauce sounds perfect. I have been wanting to make my own pasta sauce also. Perhaps I will start with this recipe.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
It’s terrific and my husband always says it tastes even better the next day 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Carole!
Mary@Back to the Basics! says
My sister’s kids love her spaghetti and they don’t know that it’s full of veggies. I never thought about using a slow cooker though…Great Idea!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks Mary!