Slow Cooker Meat Spaghetti Sauce

close up view of spaghetti sauce on pasta with shaved parmesan and fresh herbs

5 from 2 votes

Slow Cooker Meat Spaghetti Sauce

This slow cooker meat spaghetti sauce is made with ground meat, mushrooms, fresh garlic, crushed tomatoes, and herbs. It slow cooks for 8 hours on the slow cooker low setting, just throw everything together in the morning and have it ready for dinner.

Servings:

Ingredients

1 lb ground Beef or ground chicken/turkey
½ lb mushrooms white, brown, or baby portobello
30 ounces crushed tomatoes
3 ounces tomato paste
1 medium onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1½ tablespoon of freshly chopped herbs thyme, oregano, and basil
salt to taste
2 teaspoon sugar optional
1 cup water
1 lb angel hair pasta or any other pasta noodle

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients. Slice the mushrooms, dice the onions, chop the garlic, and chop the fresh herbs.
In a slow cooker, add the canned tomatoes, ground meat, tomato paste, mushrooms, diced onions, chopped garlic, chopped fresh herbs, salt, sugar, and water. Don't mix.
Set the slow cooker to the high setting for 4 hours or the low setting for 8 hours.
After 1 hour has gone by, stir the sauce. Break up the ground meat with a wooden spoon or spatula.
At the halfway mark, stir the sauce a second time. Break up any clumps of ground beef.
Once the spaghetti sauce is finished, boil some water in a large pot. Cook the pasta as per the instructions on the box. Drain the pasta from the hot water.
In a bowl, add the pasta and top with homemade pasta sauce.
Add some shaved parmesan and chopped herbs on top.

Notes

If using an Instant Pot, use the medium function for 8 hours or the high function for 4 hours. Stir the sauce after 1 hour and again at the halfway mark.
If cooking this sauce on the stovetop, use a large pot. Add some olive oil to the pot on medium-high heat. Cook the ground meat and continuously break up the clumps. Turn the stove to medium-low heat. Add the chopped onions, chopped garlic, fresh herbs, mushrooms, salt, sugar, and water. Cover the sauce. Stir every 15 to 20 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add some extra water. The sauce should take about 1 hour and 30 minutes to finish.
If this sauce needs to be hands-off throughout the entire cooking time (if you are working, etc), cook the meat on the stovetop breaking up the clumps. Add the cooked meat, chopped onions, minced garlic, herbs, sliced mushrooms, tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, sugar, and salt to the slow cooker. Cook at the low temperature for 8 hours or the high temperature for 4 hours.
Nutritional information includes pasta and meat sauce, however, does not include parmesan cheese.

Nutrition