Super Easy Spaghetti Sauce in the Crockpot
All we need is 6 ingredients to jazz up store-bought spaghetti sauce and make this super easy spaghetti sauce recipe, full of tasty tomato flavor, ground beef, and seasonings.
I love store-bought spaghetti sauce, even though my mother didn’t even know it existed until we were nearly teens. Once she tried it, she was hooked on the ease and the quality. Still, I like to dress mine up a bit. This both customizes the flavor but also serves to make your pasta sauce go further.
Making your meat sauce go further is important because I REALLY want you to have some leftover spaghetti sauce. It is VERY important you have some leftovers, so you can make my spaghetti lover’s soup. This is a supper recipe everyone in my family loves.
Now, it couldn’t be easier to make my super easy spaghetti sauce (hence the name!). All you need is store-bought spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, sugar, and ground beef. Then we do my favorite type of cooking: dump the ingredients in the slow cooker and walk away! After a long day at work, you’ll come home to a kitchen smelling absolutely delectable and dinner done. Just cook your favorite pasta and serve it to your hungry family. It’s that simple.
Alright, who’s ready to make my easy spaghetti sauce recipe now?
Recipe Ingredients
- Spaghetti sauce
- Diced tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Italian seasoning (you could also use our zesty seasoning recipe if you like)
- Sugar
- Cooked ground beef
How to Make Super Easy Spaghetti Sauce
Dump everything in the slow cooker: sauce, tomato sauce, tomatoes, and beef. If you have fresh tomatoes, by all means, cut up a few of those and put them in there instead of the canned tomatoes.
You absolutely do not have to cook this in a slow cooker. I just like the convenience of having it cook all day and then all I have to do is boil my pasta to have supper!
Be sure you put a few tablespoons of water in the sauce jar and give it a good shake to get the last bits out, too!
Add some Italian seasoning. I am using about a tablespoon and a half.
And I always add a tablespoon of sugar to help bring out the sweetness of the tomatoes.
Give it a stir, cover, and cook on low all day.
If you’d rather cook this on the stovetop, I recommend bringing it to a boil, reducing the heat to low, and simmering the homemade spaghetti sauce for about 30 minutes.
Serve over your favorite cooked pasta (it doesn’t have to be spaghetti noodles) and dinner is complete!
I also recommend sprinkling some and like fresh basil on top if you have some available.
Storage
- Store leftover spaghetti meat sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can quickly reheat them in the microwave.
- You can also freeze leftovers for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge before microwaving.
Recipe Notes
- If you’d rather, you can substitute Italian sausage or shredded chicken for the beef.
- To thicken this sauce recipe (and include some secret veggies), add 2 grated carrots. Other veggies you can include are finely diced onion, mushroom or bell pepper, and grated zucchini.
- To make this vegetarian, simply remove the ground beef. The pasta sauce will still taste delicious without!
- For heat, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Instead of serving with spaghetti, go low-carb and use zoodles (zucchini noodles).
- When it comes to , if you like, you can substitute the for a can.
- For more , add .
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with spaghetti sauce and pasta?
This is a delicious main dish as is, but if you like, you can serve your pasta with a side dish, like Italian cucumber salad, Caesar salad, garlic bread, or zucchini and squash.
Check out these other Italian-inspired easy supper ideas:
Linda’s Old Fashioned Spaghetti (Crock Pot)
Cheese Stuffed Shells (3 Cheeses Included)
Ingredients
- 2 jars spaghetti sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef browned and drained
Instructions
- Dump all ingredients into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low all day. Serve homemade sauce over freshly cooked pasta.2 jars spaghetti sauce, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
The sauce looks great! I can’t wait for this weeks posts! Always looking for ways to stretch the penny.
Try adding some chopped up pepperoni in the sauce. It’s amazing!
I usually saute chopped onion and add that too. We love us some onions!
And grated carrot sauteed along with the onion can take the place of most or all the added sugar. Practically invisible once it cooks in the sauce, the carrot adds the mellow sweetness that tames any tomato acidity – and you get extra fiber, vitamins, etc. TOO!
I’m all for anything that helps me save money and time when it comes to cooking and/or grocery shopping. With the ecomony like it is we all need to be frugal.
I am hooked on this idea!
It will be on the table tonite!
Thanx
When I was little I liked ladybugs and caterpillars oh and rolly-polys. I am looking forward to the upcoming tutorials.
I love reading the comments from different subscribers! I, too, put sliced olives in my sauce. They really add a richness, also I put a can of mushrooms in mine. I usually use Lawry’s dry mix as a starter for the sauce because I have never found one in a jar (or can) that I liked. I am going to try the Ragu and Del Monte sauces you other ladies use. And of course, garlic!!
Can’t wait for the next tutorial! I just bought spag-stuffs last night! I usually do all steps at once for dinner (brown meat, make sauce, boil noodles) but this would be a nice change:)