Linda’s Old Fashioned Spaghetti (Crock Pot)
Linda’s Old Fashioned Spaghetti is my mother in law’s signature dish and one we always look forward to whenever we visit them in Georgia. A meaty spaghetti with a sauce that is definitely a step up from your typical store bought canned sauce and far more flavorful than what most folks are used to. Linda usually makes it on the stovetop, setting aside hours for it to simmer and cook down. Last time we visited she mentioned that she would like to have a slow cooker version so that she could put it in the crock pot in the morning and not have to fuss over it throughout the day.
Well all she had to do was tell me she wanted it! I came home and immediately set out to adapt the recipe for the slow cooker. Now we can all have this bold and flavorful meat sauce spaghetti just by tossing in the ingredients and walking away.
One of my favorite features of a slow cooker is that it’s the closest I’ll ever come to having kitchen staff 🙂
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 You’ll need: Browned ground beef, Garlic powder, a jar of mushrooms, tomato paste, basil, rosemary, a pinch of cayenne pepper (it isn’t spicy, I promise!), bay leaves, and salt. Oh and some water. I’m gonna assume you have that. Isn’t it nice to have water readily available? Lots of folks don’t.
Brown your meat and drain the grease. Place in 5-6 quart slow cooker. Add in Basil, Rosemary, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne (just a tiny pinch, don’t freak out!), tomato paste, and water. Stir that up real good. Hint:Â This is easier to mix if you use hot water.
Drain mushrooms and gently stir those in.
Add Bay leaves and don’t stir (because they will break up), just spoon some sauce over them. Fish those out later, before serving.
Eat it up!
Ingredients
- 2 -3 pounds lean ground beef or ground chuck
- 1 large can tomato paste 12 oz.
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 ½ Tbs. Basil
- 1 ½ Tbs. Rosemary
- heaping teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- Pinch red cayenne pepper
- 1 jar of sliced mushrooms 6 oz.
- 3 Bay leaves remove after cooking
Instructions
- In large skillet, cook ground beef until browned and fully cooked, drain and place in slow cooker.
- Brown your meat and drain the grease. Place in 5-6 quart slow cooker. Add in Basil, Rosemary, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, Cayenne, tomato paste, and water. Stir that up real good.
- Drain mushrooms and gently stir those in.
- Add Bay leaves and don't stir (because they will break up), just spoon some sauce over them.
- Cover and cook on low, 7-9 hours, or high, 3-4 hours. Before serving, remove bay leaves. Serve over fresh cooked noodles.
Nutrition
” I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life.”
~Deut 30:18
Christy, I’m very interested in the business program that you bought for Katie. I’d love the name or even the direct link for it if you don’t mind sharing it. I think it would be fantastic to add to my granddaughter’s homeschool curriculum.
Hey Debby!
The program is called Simply Charlotte Mason Business Math and you can get it either in the Charlotte Mason Bundle or the Build Your Own Bundle. It retails for around $20 so I would get the $25 build your own bundle, add in Simply Charlotte Mason Math and then pick up four other things that might interest your granddaughter 🙂 Here is a link to that but make sure you order by midnight eastern time tonight, when the sale ends. https://www.buildyourbundle.net/affiliates/idevaffiliate.php?id=574&url=208
Thank you so much Christy!
While the sauce recipe sounds great I just wanted to tell you I really love that particular Bible verse. It’s just one of those verses that I think about when I am feeling low. It inspires me to pick myself up, dust myself off and keep on going. I always read your verses and so many times I come across one that I need for that day or one I have been thinking about and just couldn’t find. Thanks for putting the Bible verses in your post. You are right up there at the top of the list with Gloria Gaither of people who how to express their hearts thru stories and verses.
This sounds very similar to what I make now except I use Sauce instead of paste and never put in Bay leaves!
🙂
Can I use ground turkey instead?
Absolutely!
Christy! My husband and I love this recipe. It sure beats my uncle’s all-day recipe because it’s so much faster! I tweak mine by adding Italian seasoning, omitting the cilantro and mushrooms, and adding a pinch or two of sugar! I make it ahead and freeze it for camping, or for a dinner when we don’t feel like cooking! I have suggested/given your recipe to a few friends already. It’s a keeper in our household, for sure! Thanks again!
Can I use ground turkey instead? Thanks!
You sure can Naomi!!
this would make a good meal on Sunday after church!
Oh, it does Vicki!!!
Christy,
Well I’m gonna give it a try. Over the years my son’s different and ever changing girlfriends have asked for my secret spaghetti sauce recipe so they can surprise him with it. I just mumble like I don’t know what they’re talking about because I kid you not I brown ground beef and dump in one can of sauce that comes from a can. It really is embarrassing and I can’t say I like it myself. It’s just that he loves it and I’ve always kept ‘the recipe’ a big secret. 🙂
I cook most everything else from scratch or at least improve on the cans, packages, sauce mixes etc. I’m making a pledge to myself to upgrade my spagetti sauce!
Shelzp, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your sauce if that is what your family loves!!
Thank you , you made me laugh