This spaghetti with meat sauce is a great way to satisfy the whole family during busy weeknights. It's the ultimate comfort food consisting of homemade meat sauce served over your favorite noodles that can be enjoyed with crusty Italian bread or a simple side salad.
Or try this dish in a meatball casserole!
Looking for more ground beef recipes? Try our quick hearty Hamburger Casserole, and Taco Salad next!
Table of Contents
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Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- Minced garlic - always fresh.
- Vegetables - Diced brown or yellow onion, medium-diced carrot, and sliced celery sticks. You could also include other vegetables in this meat sauce such as bell peppers.
- Lean ground beef - or ground turkey or Italian sausage. You could also experiment with frozen meatballs.
- Beef broth - Chicken broth can be used.
- Can of passata - tomato puree or fire-roasted tomatoes
- Tomato paste - of good quality. All tomato products that you'll be using here should be of good quality as this is the base for this sauce and what creates the best flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce - If you are gluten-free sensitive, make sure that you are using certified gluten-free Worcestershire sauce. If you don't have it you can mix together some ingredients to have similar flavor.
- Apple cider vinegar - or any similar mild vinegar.
- Herbs - Bay leaves and dried oregano. Include other herbs or Italian seasoning for this Italian food.
- Honey - We need sugar to offset the tomato acidity. Add more if required. Maple syrup can be used instead.
- Salt and black pepper to taste - use good salt like sea salt or kosher salt for natural flavor.
Instructions
In a medium skillet, brown the beef over medium-high heat. Season with salt and black pepper.
Spray a 4-quart slow cooker/crock pot (you can use a larger too) with cooking oil and place beef and all the sauce ingredients into the cooker.
Cook 3-4 hours on HIGH or LOW for 6 hours. Check for seasonings and adjust if necessary. Discard the bay leaves.
15 minutes before the end, cook the dry pasta in a pot. Add to crock pot and mix ith the sauce or serve separately. Serve the spaghetti with meat sauce for a wholesome dinner.
Recommended Equipment
- My 4.5 quart Crock Pot
- Nonstick Skillet or Wok
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight Food containers
Tips
- This pasta dinner requires a good amount of seasoning. Adjust the amount of salt and pepper in this recipe as required.
- Canned tomatoes provide convenience for this dish, but you could use fresh tomatoes instead. Consider using Ro-Tel tomatoes for a slight kick of heat in the bolognese sauce.
- Use low-sodium broth if you want to reduce salt intake.
- Always cook the dry spaghetti noodles separately from the tomato sauce otherwise, the pasta will be a mushy mess by the time the sauce has cooked through. It's best to cook the pasta al dente for this crock pot spaghetti recipe.
- Easily adjust the flavor of this spaghetti meat sauce by including different herbs and spices.
- Serve with freshly grated mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese. I recommend grating cheese from a block for better melting and blending in the sauce.
- If you are gluten-free sensitive, make sure that you are using certified gluten-free Worcestershire sauce. If you don't have it you can mix together some ingredients to have similar flavor.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
- To Store. Let the sauce cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. The sauce will thicken and when reheating you may need to add some water or broth to return the initial consistency. I don't recommend freezing the bolognese together with noodles. Spaghetti will taste so much better when cooked fresh from scratch.
- To Freeze. Follow the same steps and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop. Stir constantly until warmed through.
FAQs
Yes! You can overcook bolognese in a slow cooker just like you can overcook bolognese on the stovetop. Ensure to follow the cooking time in this recipe so the bolognese doesn't overcook and dry out.
Absolutely! The slow cooker will cook the raw ground mince evenly throughout.
While it's not mandatory to brown the mince first, I definitely recommend that you do so as it locks in flavor and also helps prevent the mince from clumping while cooking in the slow cooker.
If the bolognese is watery, it hasn't been reduced enough to get rid of extra liquid. To further reduce the red sauce, simmer on the warm setting of the slow cooker with the lid off.
Another option is to add a cornstarch slurry to the marinara sauce or even cream cheese. Both of these options will help thicken the consistency of the pasta sauce.
You should always cook the bolognese in the slow cooker with the lid on. I would only recommend taking the lid off and allowing the sauce to simmer if you need the sauce to reduce further.
Easy Crock Pot Recipes
For a full collection hop on to our One-Pot recipes collection.
💗I hope you'll enjoy this crock pot spaghetti bolognese recipe, please leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo of your food and tag me on Instagram @theyummy_bowl. I love seeing your creations! 💗
Happy Cooking,
Love,
Julia
Recipe Card
Spaghetti With Meat Sauce Recipe (In Crock pot)
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium skillet, brown the beef over medium-high heat. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Spray a 4-quart slow cooker/crock pot (you can use a larger too) with cooking oil and place beef and all the sauce ingredients into the cooker.
- Cook 3-4 hours on HIGH or LOW for 6 hours. Check for seasonings and adjust if necessary. Discard the bay leaves.
- 15 minutes before the end, cook the dry pasta in a pot. Serve the spaghetti with the bolognese sauce for a hearty meal.
Nutrition
Notes
- Vegetables - Diced brown or yellow onion, medium-diced carrot, and sliced celery sticks. You could also include other vegetables in this meat sauce such as bell peppers.
- Lean ground beef - or ground turkey or Italian sausage. You could also experiment with frozen meatballs.
- Beef broth - Chicken broth can be used.
- Can of passata - tomato puree or fire-roasted tomatoes
- Tomato paste - of good quality. All tomato products that you'll be using here should be of good quality as this is the base for this sauce and what creates the best flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce - If you are gluten-free sensitive, make sure that you are using certified gluten-free Worcestershire sauce. If you don't have it you can mix together some ingredients to have a similar flavor. Read more in the blog post.
- The sauce is pretty ''meaty'', if you like to have more runny sauce add 1 cup of tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce or similar.
- Spaghetti - usually for one serving we make 1 ½ cups of cooked pasta per person. The pasta amount will depend on how you like your bolognese, thick or with more runny sauce. Typically, we serve a plate with cooked noodles and on top a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce, garnished with parsley. Each person then eats it as he likes by mixing the sauce and spaghetti together.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
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Bryan
How much spaghetti? It's not mentioned in the recipe.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thanks Bryan, i updated the recipe card.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Enjoy a comforting bowl of spaghetti bolognese made with minimal fuss in crock pot!