Making crockpot spaghetti sauce with ground beef is a fun and easy recipe. Because the tomatoes stew for a long time, they fall apart completely and become nice and sweet. And the best part of this Italian recipe? You put all the ingredients into the slow cooker, and you don't have to look after it for a few hours (until it's time for dinner).
Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce with Ground beef
This Italian spaghetti and meat sauce is so easy to make that I never buy it ready-made. And certainly not once you've tasted this delicious meal. Because you can't buy a sauce this good in the supermarket.
And since you only need a few minutes to put everything into the slow cooker, it takes less time than driving to your supermarket and getting back. And it's much healthier too. So I would say try it yourself!
Crockpot spaghetti sauce with meat is the BEST Italian recipe ever.
What do you need for Crockpot Spaghetti and Meat Sauce?
To prepare this Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- Tomatoes: are used as a paste, peeled (or diced) tomatoes, and sieved tomatoes. Because tomatoes are, of course, the main ingredient. And while you can use fresh tomatoes, they are only tasty in season (i.e., in summer). But the tomatoes you buy in a can are always picked in season. And therefore have the best flavor. And it makes this recipe easier and just as healthy.
- Onions, garlic, celery, and carrots: vegetables and fresh seasoning. Clean them, peel them, and cut them into small cubes. To make it even easier, buy everything pre-cut in the supermarket.
- Bacon, sugar, and Italian seasoning: sugar is added to taste the sweetness of the tomatoes. The bacon and spices, including Italian herbs, provide a little more depth. Place the bay leaf on top after mixing all the ingredients, so you can remove it easily when your stew is ready to eat (you can't eat a bay leaf). If you don't want to use sugar, add one teaspoon of baking soda (it will reduce the acidity)
- Red wine: This recipe becomes even better with a dash of red wine. And a great tip is to use the same red wine you plan to serve with your dinner. Wine contains alcohol, but this will evaporate during heating it in the slow cooker. If you prefer not to use wine, you can leave it out.
- Ground beef: For this meat sauce, I use ground beef. But you can also replace this with half-and-half meat, the meat of Italian sausage, or Vega minced meat.
How to prepare this crockpot pasta sauce
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Heat oil in a large skillet and bake the onion, bacon, and tomato paste for three minutes. Frying the tomato paste in the pan for two minutes will sweeten it (otherwise, it could be a bit sour). Then add the garlic and stir-fry for thirty seconds. TIP: if you're short on time, you can discard this step. It's not necessary (, but it will give more flavor to the result.
- Cut the carrot and celery into small cubes.
- Add the minced beef to the onion mixture and bake for four to five minutes until brown.
- Put the ingredients of your frying pan and the remaining ingredients (except the bay leaf) into the slow cooker. Stir well. Then place your bay leaf on top (that way, you can quickly find it to take out of the sauce). Turn the crockpot on, low heat, for at least 5 hours. Before serving, taste the result. The acidity of the tomatoes can differ from time to time. Therefore, it might be necessary to add some extra sugar.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
Servings: persons
Equipment
- crockpot
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 2 onions sliced finely
- 1 oz. tomato paste
- 4 oz. bacon strips
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and squeezed
- 1 pound ground beef
- 28 oz. peeled tomatoes
- 56 oz. sieved tomatoes
- 1 cup red wine like Merlot
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 4 teaspoons Italian herbs dried
- 2 carrots Peel the carrots and cut them into cubes of ¼ x ¼ inch (½ x ½ cm).
- 1 stalk celery Cut the celery into cubes of ¼ x ¼ inch (½ x ½ cm)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne ground
- 1 bay leaf
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Preparation
- Bake the onion, bacon, and tomato paste for three minutes in a frying pan.2 onions, 1 oz. tomato paste, 4 oz. bacon
- Add the garlic and stir-fry for thirty seconds.4 cloves garlic
- Then add the ground beef and bake for four to five minutes until brown.1 pound ground beef
Into the crockpot
- Put everything from the skillet into the crockpot.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the bay leaf, to the slow cooker. And stir well.28 oz. peeled tomatoes, 56 oz. sieved tomatoes, 1 cup red wine, 1 tablespoon sugar, 4 teaspoons Italian herbs, 2 carrots, 1 stalk celery, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons onion powder, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- Put the bay leaf on top and place the lid on the crockpot.1 bay leaf
- Turn the slow cooker on low heat for at least 5 hours.
- Turn the crockpot off and remove the bay leaf.
- Before serving, taste the spaghetti and meat sauce. The acidity of the tomatoes can differ from time to time. Therefore it might be necessary to add some extra sugar.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
1. Tomato paste - Frying the tomato paste in the pan for two minutes, will sweet it (otherwise it could be a bit sour).
2. Ultra fast - In the frying pan, we bake the onion, bacon, tomato paste, garlic, and ground beef before we add it to make a crockpot spaghetti sauce. This will take you about terminates. If you have just a little bit of time, you can omit this step. It's not really necessary (although it does add extra flavor).
3. Wine contains alcohol, but this will evaporate during heating this sauce. If you prefer not to use wine, you can leave it out.
4. Peeled tomatoes - You can replace the peeled tomatoes with fresh, tomatoes. Only do it when they're in season. Then their flavor is optimal. In other seasons it's not recommended because canned tomatoes almost always taste better.
5. Meat - You can also replace the ground beef with half-and-half meat (which is budget-friendly) or with ground chicken. If you prefer a vegetarian/vegan dish use Vega minced meat and substitute the bacon with slices of mushrooms or sun-dried tomatoes.
6. Serve with - This spaghetti meat sauce is delicious to serve with spaghetti or any other pasta. But you can also use it as a meat sauce for your lasagna.
7. Storage
Let the sauce cool quickly.
- Refrigerator - and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - Use an airtight container to store the spaghetti sauce. It keeps well in the freezer this way for up to 2 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator. TIP Double the amount and keep a second portion in the freezer. This way you can easily have a delicious Italian meal.
Nutrition
Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 1404mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 4160IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Iron: 7mg
Leslie says
Perfect Pasta Recipe!!
Audrey says
I love that this can be made in the crockpot! Makes things so much easier.
Kim Guzman says
A great timesaver when made in the slow cooker. Great idea!
Kristina says
Delicious!
Ramona says
This was a truly delicious recipe my whole family enjoyed it and I will defo make it again.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Andréa says
Thank you!
Andréa says
Yes indeed. That's why it's one of my favorites too!
Andréa says
Thank you. I love using my slow cooker.
Andréa says
Thank you!
Andréa says
Thank you for your great response!
Jessica Formicola says
I love that I can throw this in before work and have dinner almost ready by the time I get home! Thanks for sharing!
Sondra says
Thanks for sharing! This is such a convenient way to make spaghetti.
Faith Still says
This looks delicious! I have made slow cooker spaghetti sauce with meatballs for years and it is so nice to have everything done before the boys get home from school. Love my slow cooker!
Genevieve | Fitty Foodlicious says
Crockpot spaghetti makes for easy weeknight meals when I have no idea what to cook. This looks delicious!
Jere Cassidy says
My hubby could eat spaghetti every night, so I'm glad to have a crockpot recipe I can start early and have ready for supper.
Leslie says
Thankful for this amazing, delicious recipe! Such a great sauce and I appreciate your tips!