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Home » Dinner

Homemade Slow Cooker Meat Sauce For Spaghetti

June 6, 2022 by Ryan Allen 4 Comments

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This Homemade Slow Cooker Meat Sauce for Spaghetti is a flavorful, tomato-based sauce full of ground beef and sausage, zesty onion, flavorful garlic, and a tasty blend of Italian spices for a spaghetti sauce that will become your family’s new favorite.

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Close up of slow cooker meat sauce over spaghetti noodles on a white plate with bread in the background.

Spaghetti has always been part of the weeknight dinner rotation at my house. Everyone loves it, it is easy to make, and it makes a large batch, making it a perfect family meal. If you love spaghetti as much as we do, but not so much the premade jar of sauce, this Slow Cooker Meat Sauce recipe is perfect for you. It is packed with great flavor, and fresh meat, and doesn’t have all of the icky preservatives that come in the store-bought spaghetti sauce.

An added bonus to this recipe is that it is made in a slow cooker, so all of the work is done ahead of time! Slow cooker meals just make everything so much easier. All you have to do in the morning is cook your meat and combine everything in the slow cooker. That’s it! You just let it cook, then toss it with your favorite pasta and top with parmesan. I don’t think that it gets any easier than that!

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Slow Cooker Meat Sauce for Spaghetti

  • It is extremely simple to make.
  • The spice combination gives this sauce incredible flavor.
  • It tastes much better than store-bought sauce.
  • You don’t have to do much work to make this spaghetti sauce.
  • It makes a large batch of sauce, making it a great option for a family dinner.
  • Your whole family, kids included, will love this meat sauce.

Equipment Needed To Make This Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

  • Slow Cooker
  • Large Skillet
  • Wooden Spoon or Spatula

Ingredients For Your Crock Pot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

  • Ground Beef & Italian Sausage
  • Yellow Onion
  • Butter
  • Garlic
  • Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Paste & Tomato Sauce
  • Black Pepper
  • Brown Sugar
  • Oregano, Basil, & Parsley
  • Red Pepper
  • Beef Broth

How To Make Crock Pot Spaghetti Meat Sauce

  1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage and ground beef use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat. Cook until completely browned 7-10 minutes. Then drain and add to the slow cooker.
  2. Add onion, butter, garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, black pepper, brown sugar, oregano, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper, and beef broth. Stir until well combined.
  3. Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours and on low for 8 hours.
  4. Serve over your favorite pasta and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Close up of Crock-Pot meat sauce on a wooden spoon.

What to Serve/Pair with Your Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

Serve this meat sauce with your favorite pasta and top with parmesan cheese. If you enjoy having bread with your pasta, make these Sheetpan Breadsticks. They taste delicious dipped into the sauce. For a salad, my favorite pairing with this meat sauce is this Strawberry Spinach Salad. It’s light and sweet and isn’t so overbearing that you’ll be too full to eat your spaghetti. When I serve spaghetti, I like to pair it with a classic dessert. My recent go-to has been these Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. You can never go wrong with a chocolate chip cookie!

Popular Substitutions & Additions

  • Ground turkey can be used in place of ground beef.
  • For a little added flavor, use Italian-style canned tomatoes in place of plain canned tomatoes.
  • If you like your sauce a little spicy, add a dash of cayenne pepper into the mix.

How To Reheat & Store Homemade Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Best Way To Store Slow Cooker Meat Sauce Leftover

If you have any leftover meat sauce, you will want to let it cool completely and then transfer it into a sealed, air-tight container.

How Long Will Slow Cooker Meat Sauce for Spaghetti Last In the Fridge?

If this sauce is stored in the proper container, it will last for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Can I Freeze Homemade Meat Sauce?

Yes, you can freeze this meat sauce! Once it has cooled, put it into a freezer-safe container (I like to use a freezer bag) and label it with the date. It will last for up to 6 weeks if properly stored in the freezer.

How To Reheat Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

To reheat this sauce, you can either place it in a pan on the stove until it is warm, or you can place it back in the slow cooker for several hours until it is warm. For frozen meat sauce, thaw it completely in the fridge prior to reheating.

FAQs

Can I store leftover sauce if I have already mixed in the pasta?

If you have already tossed your sauce and pasta together, you can still store the leftovers in the fridge. They will last for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that the texture of the pasta may not be as good as it was when it was fresh, but it will be packed with flavor from the sauce.

Does it make a huge difference if I leave out the brown sugar?

Nope! Add brown sugar if you like your spaghetti sauce to be a little sweeter, and leave it out if you don’t.

Can I use chicken broth instead of beef broth?

I highly recommend using the beef broth for this sauce recipe. The flavors just pair better with the meat than a chicken broth would.


Overhead look at slow cooker spaghetti meat sauce over noodle with a piece of fresh parsley on top.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

  • Crock Pot Lazy Lasagna with Ravioli
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole (With Ritz Crackers)
  • Easy, Cheesy Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes
  • Creamy Slow Cooker Spinach Tomato Sausage Tortellini Soup
Close up of slow cooker meat sauce over spaghetti noodles on a white plate with bread in the background.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Meat Sauce

This Homemade Slow Cooker Spaghetti Meat Sauce is a flavorful, tomato-based sauce full of ground beef and sausage, zesty onion, flavorful garlic, and a tasty blend of Italian spices for a spaghetti sauce that will become your family’s new favorite.
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 3 hrs
Total Time 3 hrs 10 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Calories 374 kcal

Equipment

  • My Favorite Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 lb Italian Sausage
  • 1½ cups yellow onion (diced)
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
  • 2 (15 oz.) cans tomato sauce (do not drain)
  • 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
  • 1½ tsp black pepper
  • 1½ tbsp brown sugar (optional)
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1½ tbsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1½ cups beef broth

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage and ground beef use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up the meat. Cook until completely browned 7-10 minutes. Then drain and add to the slow cooker.
  • Add onion, butter, garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, black pepper, brown sugar, oregano, basil, parsley, crushed red pepper, and beef broth. Stir until well combined.
  • Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours and on low for 8 hours.
  • Serve over your favorite pasta and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 374kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 19gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 632mgPotassium: 416mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 51IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 3mg
Keyword crock pot spaghetti and meat sauce, crock pot spaghetti meat sauce, slow cooker meat sauce
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Peggy Mc

    June 12, 2022 at 9:04 am

    What size slow cooker did you use?

    Reply
    • Ryan Allen

      June 12, 2022 at 2:08 pm

      I use a 6-quart slow cooker. It makes it easy to stir everything together without making a mess.

      Reply
  2. ChelsO

    June 25, 2022 at 6:06 pm

    This sauce was the bomb. Left-overs tasted even better. We served over angel hair pasta one night and ravioli the next.

    Reply
    • Ryan Allen

      June 26, 2022 at 8:09 pm

      So glad that you like it. I always make extra and freeze it.

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Ryan. Welcome to Slow Cooker Meals. I have created tasty Crock-Pot meals that your family will love. New recipes are posted weekly to help you get out of that dinner rut.

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