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Home » Recipes

Best Spaghetti Slow Cooker Meat Sauce (2025)

Brittany Kline | Updated December 19, 2024 Recipes

My Slow Cooker Meat Sauce is a hearty and flavorful staple for any pasta night, requiring just 5 minutes of prep time. Perfect for busy families to get a delicious sauce for dinner with minimal effort.
Slow Cooker Meat Sauce
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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

Ingredients

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.

Ingredients in crockpot

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.

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Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours hours
Total Time: 6 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Author: Brittany Kline
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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

Dump 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.

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About Brittany Kline

Hi, I’m Brittany Kline—a mom, home systems expert, and culinary enthusiast passionate about helping busy families simplify life—starting in the kitchen. With a master’s degree in education and years of experience creating streamlined home solutions, I specialize in practical meal planning, effortless home organization, and family-friendly recipes that make life easier (and tastier) for moms everywhere.

As a former educator turned household management pro, I understand the daily chaos that comes with raising a family. That’s why I’ve dedicated my work to helping moms take control of meal planning, grocery shopping, and kitchen routines—so they can spend less time stressing and more time enjoying family meals.

My recipes and meal-planning strategies have been featured in leading publications such as Forbes, TIME, USA Today, and Business Insider, among many others. Whether you’re looking for quick weeknight dinners or tips to make meal prep stress-free, I’m here to help you turn chaos into calm. Click here to read all of my posts.

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Shelly
Shelly
8 years ago

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!

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Reply
Mark
Mark
8 years ago
Reply to  Shelly

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.

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Melissa
Melissa
8 years ago
Reply to  Shelly

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.

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Anne
Anne
7 years ago
Reply to  Shelly

I use a combination of tomato purée and paste for mine. I have to stay away from the seeds.

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Laura
Laura
5 years ago
Reply to  Anne

Can i use sausage instead of beef

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Reply
Betty
Betty
4 years ago
Reply to  Shelly

Tomato past would be to sweet I would put the crushed tomatoes in the blender and call it a day

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Reply
Yolanda Castaneda
Yolanda Castaneda
3 years ago
Reply to  Shelly

I recently discovered crockpot liners … Can I use my liners to thismake this Meat sauce… Thank you

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Brian P. McDonough
Brian P. McDonough
8 years ago

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.

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Joye
Joye
8 years ago

Hi,
Can this be used with ground turkey instead of lean ground beef?

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Reply
Lauren
Lauren
8 years ago
Reply to  Joye

It sure can 🙂

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Sinnakins
Sinnakins
8 years ago

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.

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Sessha
Sessha
6 years ago
Reply to  Sinnakins

I’m an omnivore, but I looove my veggies, and the adjustments you made sound absolutely divine!

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Bill
Bill
8 years ago

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!!!!

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Mark
Mark
7 years ago

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?

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Tiffanie
Tiffanie
7 years ago

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

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Sandra
Sandra
7 years ago

My slow cooker only has low and high no medium setting so can I cook the sauce on high and for how long?.

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Reply
AKC
AKC
7 years ago
Reply to  Sandra

I’m doing 4 hours on high. The slow cookers I’ve had were high, low or warm.

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Reply
Sandra Graves
Sandra Graves
7 years ago

My slow cooker only has low and high no medium setting so can I cook the sauce on high and for how long?.

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Reply
Michelle
Michelle
7 years ago

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!!

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Sara
Sara
7 years ago
Reply to  Michelle

It will be fine! If the basil is too strong, just add some more tomatoes.

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Reply
Skip & Debi
Skip & Debi
7 years ago

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?

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Kati
Kati
7 years ago

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?

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Ann
Ann
7 years ago

Can you use meat balls instead of ground beef?

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Reply
Sandy Toes
Sandy Toes
7 years ago
Reply to  Ann

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.

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Debbie
Debbie
7 years ago

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.

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Reply
Nabana
Nabana
6 years ago

I plan on using store bought, jar sauce.

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Reply
Carla
Carla
6 years ago
Reply to  Nabana

How did it turn out??

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Jim
Jim
6 years ago

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!!!

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bob
bob
6 years ago

is this a sweet and thick sauce thats what id like to try

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Matt
Matt
6 years ago

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.

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Sieu Nguyen
Sieu Nguyen
6 years ago

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!

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