Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce with Ground Beef
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).
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
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