Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

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This Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce recipe is made easy in your crockpot. It makes a thick and hearty sauce that freezes well. You can choose to make it with ground beef, sausage or leave out the meat and make it vegetarian!

I love this spaghetti sauce and for good reason…..it’s so easy to make! I thrive on easy to make dinners like Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and Slow Cooker Chili Mac (a family favorite!). Another favorite is our Slow Cooker Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole!

Top down view of spaghetti sauce over noodles and topped with cheese.

*Originally published April 2016. Photos and text updated.*

To make a good homemade spaghetti sauce it needs to simmer, but for a really long time.

Well, I don’t have the patience to stand there and stir it every so often. I have tried making it on the stove top and it just doesn’t work for me.

Spaghetti sauce ingredients ready to add to the slow cooker.

I don’t know why, but I usually scorch the sauce. I know, right?!?! How does a person burn spaghetti sauce?

I have it turned as low as it can go too. I just get distracted with other things and forget all about it until I smell it burning.

So, my solution was my trusty old crockpot. I don’t know where I would be without that thing sometimes.

Close up of spaghetti sauce on pasta and topped with cheese.

Ingredients:

  • Meat: you can use ground beef, ground turkey, frozen meatballs, or Italian sausage. We prefer a mixture of ground beef and sausage.
  • Crushed Tomatoes
  • Diced Tomatoes: you can replace with more crushed tomatoes, I just like to add this to provide a few chunks of tomato.
  • Tomato Paste: don’t be tempted to leave this out. It provides rich flavor and helps thicken the sauce.
  • Water or Beef Broth
  • Olive Oil: provides a little richness to the sauce.
  • Onion
  • Garlic Powder: or use 4-6 cloves minced garlic!
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Blend of seasonings: I usually use what I have on hand and it can vary. Most times I use Italian seasoning and add extra basil.
  • Sugar: while not totally necessary it helps cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes. You can leave it out if you prefer.
A ladle full of sauce being dipped out of the slow cooker.

Tips and Suggestions:

  • Make it your own by adding in extras! Add sliced mushrooms, green bell pepper, shredded Parmesan cheese, and at the end of cook time stir in some spinach!
  • Freezer Friendly! Place cooled sauce in freezer safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
A large plate of spaghetti piled high with sauce and cheese.

Serving Suggestions:

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5 from 4 votes
Close up of spaghetti sauce on pasta and topped with cheese.
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
8 hrs
Total Time
8 hrs 10 mins
 
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: homemade spaghetti sauce, slow cooked spaghetti sauce
Servings: 8
Calories: 303 kcal
Author: Malinda Linnebur
Ingredients
  • pounds (750g) lean ground beef, ground turkey, Italian sausage, or a mixture of meat (we like a mix of ground beef and sausage)
  • 1 (28 oz) (793g) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5 oz) (411g) can diced tomatoes (don't drain)
  • 1 (6 oz) (170g) tomato paste
  • ½ cup (120ml) water or beef broth
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • ¼ cup (30g) shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder or 4-6 cloves minced
Instructions
  1. In a large skillet brown the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease and add to slow cooker.

  2. Stir in remaining ingredients and cover with lid. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours.

Recipe Notes
  1. Make it your own by adding in extras! Add sliced mushrooms, green bell pepper, shredded Parmesan cheese, and at the end of cook time stir in some spinach!
  2. Freezer Friendly! Place cooled sauce in freezer safe containers or bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
  3. Nutrition facts: Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the information shown is just an estimate. Nutrition calculated using 95% lean ground beef and water. 

Serving Suggestions:

Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 303 Calories from Fat 104
% Daily Value*
Fat 11.6g18%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 58mg19%
Sodium 107mg5%
Potassium 789mg23%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 32g64%
Vitamin A 38IU1%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 117mg12%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the information shown is just an estimate.

16 thoughts on “Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce”

  1. 5 stars
    Spaghetti is a family favorite at our house. We tried this recipe the last time, it was a winner! We will definitely be making this again! Thank you!

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    We are huge fans of spaghetti night in our house and this sauce took it to the next level! Sooo good, thank you so much for the recipe!

    Reply
  3. 5 stars
    I’ve always been a store bought spaghetti sauce person but with some new-found time on my hands I gave homemade a try and HOLY COW! This was incredible! It’ll be seriously hard to go back to store bought. I might have to make and freeze this to keep it on hand! Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Do you have to brown the meat? Kind of hoping to find a recipe i can just throw in the slow cooker in the morning, without having to brown the meat.

    Reply
    • So sorry I didn’t respond to your question sooner!! Yes, you can skip browning the meat. There are details in the notes of the recipe card. Thanks for asking!! 🙂

      Reply
  5. I love love love my slow cooker! Seriously, that thing is cooking my dinner at least 2-3 times per week throughout the year. So awesome! This Spaghetti Sauce looks delish!

    Reply

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