Looking for an easy tomato sauce recipe that you can set and forget that the kids will LOVE?
This Slow Cooker Meat Sauce is so flavorful and hearty that no one will believe it only took you 5 minutes to throw together tasty pasta sauce!
And this slow cooker spaghetti sauce recipe was also designed to be incredibly freezer-cooking friendly. Just toss the uncooked ingredients in a freezer bag for a later date.
Key Takeaways
- Cook Time: Low – 8 hours; Medium – 6 hours
- Main Ingredients: Ground beef, crushed tomatoes, garlic, basil, and more
- Servings: 6
- Extras: I like to add 1/2 cup of leftover red wine to make a richer spaghetti sauce
- Tips: Swap ground beef with ground turkey or chicken for a leaner protein
- If you love this recipe, you’ll also love my homemade spaghetti sauce recipe!
Satisfying Slow Cooker Meat Sauce
Start by placing a pound of ground beef in the bottom of the slow cooker.
There’s no need to brown ground beef for this recipe, it’ll cook low and slow perfectly.
The only thing is that if you want less grease or liquid in your sauce, consider getting 85% or 90% ground beef since it has less fat content.
Add basil, black pepper, garlic, and salt on top, and then cover with 2 cans of crushed tomatoes.
Set your slow cooker to medium or low (6 hours or 8 hours respectively). When it’s done, stir it and break up all of the ground beef.
Serve over your favorite pasta, and enjoy! Although I haven’t tried it yet, I bet this sauce would also be AMAZING for lasagna.
Ingredients
- 1 - 1.5 lbs. lean ground beef at least 90%
- 2 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place ground beef in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add all other ingredients on top.
- Cook on medium for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours.
- Serve over your favorite pasta.
Recipe Substitutions
If you’re looking to switch up the ingredients for this Slow Cooker Meat Sauce, there are plenty of options that cater to different dietary preferences or simply to what you have on hand.
The Meat
I love slow-cooker spaghetti sauce made from scratch, so adding ground beef for a meat sauce was a no-brainer.
I’m thinking next time I’ll add a link or two of mild Italian sausage, which I love with meatballs, so I’m sure it’ll pop in slow cooker spaghetti sauce!
For a meat substitute, consider using ground turkey or chicken for a lighter version. It’s still a great texture and taste but with less fat.
You can also go vegetarian with lentils or a ground meat alternative. I would pick something that breaks up, like tofu, to give it that hearty texture.
The Sauce
If crushed tomatoes aren’t your favorite or you’re out, tomato sauce or diced tomatoes can work in a pinch; just keep an eye on the liquid level to keep it from being watery.
Seasoning swaps can refresh the flavor profile, too; try adding red pepper flakes or a touch of smoked paprika for a different twist.
Also, if I have some red wine leftover from a girl’s night, I’ll add in half a cup to add a rich depth of flavor- that is how they do it in a lot of restaurants!
If I’m just looking for a bit more nutrition I may add beef broth or bone broth instead- just some added protein over just tomatoes.
Other Slow Cooker Recipes
If you like this slow cooker spaghetti sauce recipe, you might be interested in 40 other slow cooker dump recipes that are AMAZING!
FAQs
Is it safe to put raw ground beef in the crock pot?
Yes, it is safe to put raw ground beef in the crock pot as long as you cook it on low or medium for an extended period of time.
Make sure to break up the meat and stir it thoroughly after cooking, which also spreads it out in your yummy homemade spaghetti sauce.
Could I use jarred sauce for a quick slow cooker spaghetti sauce?
Yes, you can use a jarred sauce for a quick spaghetti sauce.
You can add the ground beef to make it a meat sauce or heat up the sauce and add it to your pasta.
What should I do if my spaghetti sauce is watery?
If your sauce isn’t as thick as you’d like, you could thicken it up by adding some tomato paste or adding a cornstarch slurry (aka cornstarch and water).
You can also let it cook for a bit longer until the sauce reduces and thickens.
Final Thoughts
So, are you ready to give this easy spaghetti sauce a try?
My Slow Cooker phase has led me to some fantastic new recipes, but it was nice revisiting a classic in a way that keeps me from standing in front of the stove after a long day of work.
It’s a foolproof dish that my daughters always want on their pasta – definitely worth making extra to pop into the freezer for easy reheating!
Give it a try, and watch it become a beloved staple in your meal plan.
Have you grabbed my Chaos to Control Starter Guide yet? It could help you plan meals, clean up around the house, and more to say goodbye to clutter and chaos.
Plan a Week of Dinners in Minutes — Without Overspending or Overthinking It.
Join over 50,000 other savvy moms who’ve simplified dinner time!
✅ Done-for-you templates & shopping lists
✅ Budget-friendly and picky-eater approved
Hi! This sounds delicious! I do have a question. My two sons are very picky eaters, but love spaghetti. Is there a way to make this without crushed tomatoes, for example, with a tomato paste instead? They don’t like big chunks of tomatoes. Thank you!
Hi Shelly – this will definitely not work with tomato paste… since it’s too thick. I don’t like chunks of tomato in my sauce either, so I use brands that are really smooth. One of my favorites is tuttorosso. No chunks at all in their crushed tomatoes.
Run your crushed tomatoes through a food processor of some sort (I have a magic bullet and that works great). I do this for most recipes that call for crushed or diced tomatoes since my kiddos are not fans of chunks either.
I use a combination of tomato purée and paste for mine. I have to stay away from the seeds.
Can i use sausage instead of beef
Tomato past would be to sweet I would put the crushed tomatoes in the blender and call it a day
I recently discovered crockpot liners … Can I use my liners to thismake this Meat sauce… Thank you
I used Contadina crushed tomatoes, they were liquified enough for me I also added a green pepper, a white onion, and a can on portabella mushrooms. couldnt find minced garlic so I used chopped garlic, really just as good. I’ve nevermade my own sauce before, but I’m making it for a family Sunday night dinner, I tasted it and it tastes pretty fucking good to me. I am using Rigatoni and I also made 28 meatballs. I just buy frozen Garlic bread.
Hi,
Can this be used with ground turkey instead of lean ground beef?
It sure can 🙂
I have needed this recipe so much….. We are pasta-eating fiends in my house; my two kids and I. We go through six of the cheapo jars every two weeks. I can’t eat meat, unfortunately, but I threw in eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, white onion, shiitake mushrooms, and some bell peppers. It looks and tastes like fancy sauce. I’m pleased.
I’m an omnivore, but I looove my veggies, and the adjustments you made sound absolutely divine!
This sounds to easy to be true but I’m trying it today. I’ll let you all know ,usually I make my own red gravey bur this sure sounds goood and a LOT EASIER!!!!
I would like to use Fresh Roma or Better Boy tomatoes. About how may should I use and how should I prep them. Such as blanch, remove the skins, and run through a food processor first?
Hello I have a question in the stovetop recipe you say you could use canned crushed tomatoes that have basil garlic in them but in the recipe above you do not say that for the slow cooker recipe is it still OK to use the crushed tomatoes that have the additional flavor or is it going to make it too strong and also if you can use them do you use the same amount of the basil and garlic
My slow cooker only has low and high no medium setting so can I cook the sauce on high and for how long?.
I’m doing 4 hours on high. The slow cookers I’ve had were high, low or warm.
My slow cooker only has low and high no medium setting so can I cook the sauce on high and for how long?.
I accidentally doubled the basil in this sauce. I thought it was 2T, not 1T. Have I ruined it? Should I add something counteract the basil? I just started it about 30 minutes ago (it’s 8am). Help!!
It will be fine! If the basil is too strong, just add some more tomatoes.
My wife and I love to blend sweet ground Italian sausage with hamburger meat for our pasta dishes. Is it ok to use half Italian sausage half ground beef in this slow cooker recipe? Will it be too greasy?
It sounds like you don’t crumble the ground beef. Just break it up after it has cooked. Is that true? And do you stir the garlic and spices in the tomatoes before turned the crockpot on?
Can you use meat balls instead of ground beef?
Yes, you can. If you make your own, it’s best to slightly cook them first (you can even nuke them for a minute), so they don’t fall apart in the sauce.
I have never not browned ground meat before placing in the slow cooker. Does it affect the texture of the meat? This household is very sensitive to food textures.
I plan on using store bought, jar sauce.
How did it turn out??
This is so easy & so good! Threw it in the crockpot and did all my yard work. At the end of the day, it was done & delicious! My better half couldn’t believe I made homemade sauce as we usually use the jar crap. I only added mushrooms & onion to this great recipe. Thanks!!!
is this a sweet and thick sauce thats what id like to try
Sorry, Lauren, we tried this and it was a miss for us. The texture of the beef was wrong, and the sauce felt like it needed more flavor. The basil and tomatoes just weren’t cutting it. I kept trying to tinker with it to make it edible and gave up.
Hi! Can I use ground sausage and ground chorizo instead of beef or will it make it too greasy? I have made this with ground beef and it was delish! Thanks!