By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 12, 2026

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Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Serves 6

303 cal · 490 min

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Recipe GLPRa67832f8903fb2

4.0(1)
Italian
Sauce & Condiment
490 min
303 cal
Servings: 6
Slow Cooker
Stovetop
SNAP eligible

A rich, aromatic meat sauce made from scratch in a slow cooker. Ground beef is browned with onions, then combined with tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, fresh garlic, and a blend of Italian herbs. Long, slow cooking allows the flavors to develop into a deeply savory sauce perfect for pasta. Ready to serve over spaghetti or your favorite pasta.

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Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon fresh basil or dried basil

2 tablespoons Italian herbs or parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until it is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 160°F, about 5-7 minutes.

  2. Add the chopped onion to the skillet with the cooked ground beef. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until the onion begins to soften.

  3. Drain any excess fat from the skillet and discard.

  4. Transfer the ground beef and onion mixture to a slow cooker.

  5. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, Italian herbs, salt, and sugar to the slow cooker. Stir well to combine all ingredients.

  6. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, until the sauce is thick and flavorful. Stir occasionally if possible.

  7. Serve over cooked spaghetti or your favorite pasta.

Comments

Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff4

This is a solid weeknight dish with minimal fuss: all ingredients are available at any Charlotte chain without a special trip, ground beef and canned tomatoes are cheap, and the slow cooker does the work for you. The stated time of 490 minutes (8+ hours) is honest for the slow cooker method itself, though the recipe ignores that you need to brown the beef first, which adds another 15 minutes realistically. It reheats perfectly and feeds a family well, but it's not exceptional—slow cooker pasta sauce is straightforward and somewhat ordinary, lacking distinctive flavor or a compelling seasonal angle for the Charlotte market.

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