• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Southern Bite - supper made simple.

Southern Bite

Stacey Little's Southern Food & Recipe Blog

  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Breads
    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Main Course
    • Sauces/Dressings
    • Sides
    • Slow Cooker
    • Snacks
    • Soups
    • Weeknight Bites
  • Videos
    • Simply Southern TV
    • Behind the Recipe
    • Recipes with Videos
  • Cookbook
  • About
    • About Stacey
    • Media/PR
    • Contact
  • Recipe Box
Home » Recipes » Main Course

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Stacey – April 29, 2020 – 56 Comments

Jump to Recipe Save Recipe

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce over cooked spaghetti on a white plate

Ok, time for some real talk. If I’m making spaghetti, 90% of the time I open a jar of pasta sauce, heat it,  and stir in some browned ground beef. It’s easy, convenient, and there are some seriously delicious jarred sauces out there.

But sometimes I want a little more – something a little different.  Something with super bold, robust flavor that’s thick, rich, and filled with tons of meat. And that, my friends, is what this Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce is.  

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce in crock pot before stirring

And the reality is that all it really takes to make this is time. There’s no special skill required.  You don’t need your Sicilian great-grandmother’s secret recipe – I’m looking at you, Sophia Petrillo. And there’s no carefully watching over a pot of sauce for 14 hours.

If you can open some cans and brown some ground beef, you’ve got this recipe whipped. The slow cooker makes this process so. dang. easy. 

Scoopful of Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

And the result is a super thick, rich, flavorful meat sauce that’s great for spaghetti, baked ziti, lasagna, you name it! You can even just eat it with a spoon. 

And this recipe makes a ton. You can seriously feed 8 to 10 people. And while most of us aren’t feeding that many folks for supper every night, I haven’t scaled this recipe down for a few reasons. 

Scoopful of Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

To start, it freezes and reheats beautifully. Store any leftovers in an airtight freezer container or bag and you’ve got sauce done for another busy weeknight. 

It’s also great for sharing with friends. This sauce is so decadent and delicious, you’ll want to show off your cooking prowess by packaging it up and sharing with family and friends. And you can even tell them it’s a secret recipe to make it sound super special.  I won’t tell the truth.  

This recipe works great in perfect round numbers. You don’t have any half cans of ingredients or random onion pieces leftover in the fridge. I love recipes like that and scaling this one down would mean you’d have some extra stuff hanging around that you’d need to finding something to do with.  

The other thing is this sauce is super versatile, like I said before. It’s spaghetti sauce one night and then makes a delicious lasagna or baked ziti later in the week.  

Cooked pasta with Slow Cooker Spaghetti sauce on top

Regardless of how you use it, I hope you’ll try this stuff.  It’s seriously amazing.  Even my wife, who’s not a huge spaghetti fan, loves this sauce.  And I bet you’ll love it, too!  

Scoopful of Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Print Pin Save
5 from 6 votes

Recipe Card

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Course Main Course, Sauce
Cuisine American, Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Servings 8
Author Stacey Little | Southern Bite

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground chuck
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (18-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • Brown the ground beef over medium high heat in a large skillet. Drain the grease away. Set aside.
  • Lightly spray the crock of a 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add the onion, garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce. Mix well. Add the sugar, dried basil, dried Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. Add the ground beef and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours. Stir well and serve over cooked pasta.
Scoopful of Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Did you make my Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce?I'd love to see! Share on Instagram, tag @southernbite, and use the hashtag #southernbite!
Tag on Insta Leave a Rating

Scoopful of Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce image for Pinterest 

Know some folks who would like this?

Related Posts

Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti served with fork
Ultimate Crock Pot Chicken Spaghetti
bowl of Slow Cooker Ham and Beans
Slow Cooker Ham and Beans
Bowl of Slow Cooker Creole Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Creole Beef Stew
The Best Crock Pot Mac and Cheese in the slow cooker
The Best Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
Stacey Little of Southern Bite

Hey, y’all! I’m Stacey…

Feeding people makes me happy. Few things in this world delight me more than my family and friends gathered around my table enjoying a meal. Pull up a chair and join us! Read more…

Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter YouTube
About Cookbook Shop Contact

Join my mailing list!

Get new Southern Bite recipes delivered right to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you my Breakfast Bites mini ebook!

No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Rate & Comment Cancel reply

    I love hearing from y'all! Comments, suggestions, and questions are always welcome. Kindness is required. Your email address will not be published.

    Recipe Rating




  1. Jill Wing

    October 24, 2022 at 5:14 am

    Can I add green peppers and mushrooms?? Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      October 26, 2022 at 9:43 am

      Absolutely! Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Norma

    September 29, 2022 at 1:15 pm

    This was absolutely wonderful! I was tempted to omit the Worcestershire Sauce (never heard of it in spaghetti sauce) but took a leap of faith and added it and so glad I did. Thank you for sharing your recipe.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      September 29, 2022 at 1:48 pm

      Wonderful! So glad to hear you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  3. Norma

    July 20, 2022 at 7:30 pm

    What size slow cooker do I need? Mine is 6-quarts.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      July 26, 2022 at 5:22 pm

      That will work perfectly!

      Reply
  4. Ranita

    June 28, 2022 at 5:33 pm

    This is a GREAT recipe. I have made meat sauce for years, but always missed the mark on the seasoning. After looking at the recipe I realized I used almost the same exact ingredients but in different amounts and minus the Worcestershire sauce. I was brave and so confident in Stacey that I used my instapot and doubled the recipe. The only change I made was to add 2 cups of water to thin it out a bit. So happy I doubled it. Now I have a freezer full of wonderful meat sauce for all types of Italian meals. Thanks once again Stacey for providing a tried and true recipe!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      June 29, 2022 at 11:30 am

      You are so welcome, Ranita! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  5. Ann

    May 1, 2022 at 11:21 pm

    Delicious! Thinking of starting a family tradition of Spaghetti Sundays and your recipe is a keeper! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 2, 2022 at 9:31 am

      Thank you so much! Spaghetti Sunday is an amazing idea!

      Reply
  6. Beverly

    March 3, 2022 at 9:11 am

    Just got this going in the crock pot. It looks to be very thick. Can I add a can of water?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      March 7, 2022 at 12:50 pm

      Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem.

      Reply
  7. Lynne Killingbeck

    October 31, 2021 at 9:46 pm

    I don’t understand how I asked a question within an old thread. Like now, I went to “the comment box” at the bottom . Oops. Will the diced onion be tender by the time the sauce is ready?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      November 1, 2021 at 8:42 am

      It certainly should. You could always dice it finer if you have concerns.

      Reply
  8. Carolyn

    October 26, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    I am wondering if this sauce can be frozen?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      October 26, 2021 at 1:50 pm

      Absolutely! I do it quite often. Normally, I just put it in a freezer ziptop bag and squeeze all the air out.

      Reply
  9. Carole

    October 16, 2021 at 4:18 pm

    Looking for recipe called Ziti with honey Mustard Salmon….got it on this web site but have questions. Can you help me? Made it once fabulous! Making it a second time and have a question.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      October 18, 2021 at 10:41 am

      Hi Carole! I can’t say I’m familiar with that one. It’s not my recipe, but could have been one of the Meal Plan Monday Recipes. What about this one: https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/ziti-with-honey-mustard-salmon

      Reply
  10. Rob

    June 8, 2021 at 1:40 am

    Awful recipe honestly. I ended up having to add a bunch of water and other seasonings to it in order to balance the flavor. I’m waiting until tomorrow to try it, but if i end up having to throw away this whole thing of sauce ima be pissed

    Reply
    • Stacey

      June 8, 2021 at 2:33 pm

      I’m so sorry to hear it didn’t turn out as you expected. This one has always gotten great reviews.

      Reply
      • Debra bacchus

        October 31, 2022 at 7:50 am

        Don’t have a slow cooker

        Reply
  11. JH

    May 8, 2021 at 1:41 pm

    The best spaghetti sauce that I have made in a long long time . Not sure but I think it is the Worcestershire that made the difference . That’s a new addition for me. I didn’t make in the crock pot because I wanted to get it made and be done with it . Thanks for the recipe and look forward to enjoying many more . I remember Christy Jordon’s stories of your friendship. Enjoyed you on the Dads Kitchen podcast . Thanks for sharing your recipes.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 10, 2021 at 10:45 am

      Thank you so much, JH! I’m so very fortunate to call Christy a friend!

      Reply
  12. Michelle

    March 9, 2021 at 9:37 pm

    I have canned tomatoes from my garden (quart jars). Do you think it will be ok to use those in place of the crushed tomatoes?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      March 10, 2021 at 10:28 am

      I think so. I might just break them up with my hands as I put them in there.

      Reply
  13. Linnie

    October 19, 2020 at 10:49 am

    Do you just hate it when someone tweaks your recipe? 🙂 Well I did a little bit. Since we like sausage or hamburger in our spaghetti sauce, I compromised and put 1 lb. of each in it, doubled the amount of garlic and added 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes. After cooking it for six hours, I used the sauce to make lasagna. My husband said this was the best homemade lasagna he’s ever had. We all know that the sauce is what makes the lasagna and I would have to agree it was the best sauce ever. I’m so excited to have found one that is so flavorful and we really loved.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      October 20, 2020 at 12:27 pm

      No, I actually love to hear about folks taking my recipes and making them their own. I rarely make a dish exactly as the recipe states! So glad to hear y’all enjoyed it so much!!

      Reply
  14. Sharon

    September 19, 2020 at 9:49 pm

    Like this recipe..

    Reply
  15. Bay

    August 17, 2020 at 2:23 pm

    How do I convert the recipe for use in my instant pot pressure cooker? That is to cook the spaghetti sauce in pressure cooker mode?

    Reply
    • Stacey

      August 18, 2020 at 2:25 pm

      I’ve not done it that way, so I can’t say for sure. This makes a lot so you’ll have to have a pretty large pressure cooker.

      Reply
  16. Linda

    July 29, 2020 at 8:42 am

    Thanks for sharing this recipe, my grandson love spaghetti but hate diced tomatoes in it, so this solves the problem.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      July 29, 2020 at 11:18 am

      I was just like him when I was little! Hope he likes this version!

      Reply
  17. mary meissner

    July 19, 2020 at 12:18 pm

    Added some rind of parmesan. This is a good recipe!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      July 20, 2020 at 12:03 pm

      Sounds like a great addition! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  18. Lu Loy

    June 11, 2020 at 10:03 am

    I made this a couple of weeks ago and we loved it! For us, it was a little thick, so I added a can of diced tomatoes and it worked out fine! Didn’t use a slow cooker, just put it on top of the stove on low heat all day.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      June 11, 2020 at 11:16 am

      Sounds perfect! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  19. Jacqueline

    May 31, 2020 at 1:23 pm

    The only change I made was 1/2 Cup red wine (Merlot). It was FAB! Thanx!

    Reply
    • Stacey

      June 1, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  20. Janet

    April 30, 2020 at 5:46 pm

    I thought this had a acid tomatoey taste. I will not make again.

    Reply
    • Stacey

      May 1, 2020 at 9:44 am

      I’ve found that some canned tomato products do have an acidy taste. The solution is super simple. A pinch of baking soda – just a pinch – stirred in will eliminate nearly all of the acid flavor.

      Reply
      • Rose E Dickerson

        May 31, 2020 at 1:18 pm

        Adding a little sugar…about a teaspoon…wwill take that acidy taste away…just keep adding until you are satisfied. This is a great recipe…my family LOVEDit…it’s a keeper.

        Reply
        • Stacey

          June 1, 2020 at 2:44 pm

          Awesome! Glad it turned out great for you!

          Reply
          • Lynne K

            October 30, 2021 at 10:34 pm

            Well the onion become tender enough without pre-ooking?

          • Stacey

            November 1, 2021 at 8:44 am

            It should!

        • BEVERLY JONES

          July 17, 2021 at 9:58 am

          I read about baking soda to cut the acidy taste years ago…but Stacey is right, only a pinch!

          Reply
      • Denise

        April 2, 2021 at 12:57 pm

        Stacy Just made your spaghetti sauce but I added too much baking soda (to cut the acidity) It bubbled up and taste weird. So then I added more sugar and a little water. Taste better, but still not sure about it. Is there anything else I could do to cut the baking soda? P.S. This is My fault for adding too much baking soda. I should have been more careful when measuring.

        Reply
        • Stacey

          April 5, 2021 at 1:02 pm

          You can actually add a little acid back in the form of a few teaspoons of vinegar and that will help.

          Reply
  21. Cheryl Kerspilo

    April 29, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    I’ve never seen a can of tomato paste that big. Are you sure that’s the right size? It sounds amazing

    Reply
    • Stacey

      April 29, 2020 at 2:42 pm

      Yep! It’s correct. I usually buy it at Walmart. If you can’t find it, 3 of the little 6-ounce cans will work. Hope you’ll enjoy it!!

      Reply
    • Susan

      June 1, 2020 at 12:54 pm

      A pat or so of butter will help that taste. I read this years ago and now I just add it. It’s butter, after all!

      Reply
      • Nancye

        September 10, 2021 at 2:38 pm

        My Mother put a pat of butter in everything she cooked. Alabama southern cooking. Can’t wait to try recipe!!

        Reply
        • Stacey

          September 13, 2021 at 9:26 am

          It certainly wouldn’t hurt here, either!

          Reply

Primary Sidebar

Stacey Little of Southern Bite

Hey, y’all! I’m Stacey…

Feeding people makes me happy. Few things in this world delight me more than my family and friends gathered around my table enjoying a meal. Pull up a chair and join us! Read more…

Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter YouTube
About Cookbook Shop Contact
The Southern Bite Cookbook cover

Trending Now

  • These quick and easy enchiladas only call for 5 ingredients and are ready in no time! It's the perfect recipe for a busy weeknight! #recipe #southernbite #enchiladas #easy #quick #weeknight5 Ingredient Beef Enchiladas
  • Closer photo of Ultimate Chicken SpaghettiUltimate Chicken Spaghetti
  • Two Easy Lemon Squares stacked on a blue plateEasy Lemon Squares
  • Bowl of Southern Chicken and DumplingsOld-Fashioned Southern Chicken and Dumplings
  • Bowl of Southern Lima BeansSouthern Lima Beans (Butter Beans)
  • Cream Cheese Bacon Chicken Pasta on a forkCream Cheese Bacon Chicken Pasta

As Seen On

As seen on logos

Recipes by Category

  • Appetizers
  • Beverages
  • Breads
  • Breakfast
  • Desserts
  • Main Course
  • Sauces/Dressings
  • Sides
  • Slow Cooker
  • Snacks
  • Soups
  • Weeknight Bites
  • Work with Me
  • My Cookbook
  • Contact
  • Cookbooks I Love
  • FAQ
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

© 2009–2023 Southern Bite / Stacey Little Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. All Content Protected By Federal Copyright Laws.