Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce
This recipe for hearty and flavorful slow cooker pasta sauce takes just three steps, and is the perfect comfort food topping to all kinds of pasta!
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Why we love this recipe
This recipe for warm and wonderful slow cooker pasta sauce is (along with beef barley soup and chocolate pudding cake) one of the very top reasons I love and adore my slow cooker.
It takes just three simple steps – brown the meat, dump it into your slow cooker with a bunch of other ingredients, and let it cook all day, filling your kitchen with an irresistible meaty tomato sauce aromas. Cook up your favorite pasta…and you are DONE!
And as if all that wasn’t enough, this recipe makes a LOT of sauce, so after everyone has had their fill, just scoop the cooled leftovers into freezer bags, pop them in the freezer, and so long as you have pasta in the house somewhere you will be all set for future dinners when you are faced with a ravenous family and your mind is a blank.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient additions and substitutions
- Ground Beef: We usually use 80/20% fat content ground beef for this recipe, however you can swap in ground turkey if you prefer.
- Sugar: The sugar is in here to mellow the acidic flavor of the tomatoes. You can cut it in half if you want to – your pasta sauce will have a little sharper flavor but will still be delicious.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Cook up the ground beef in a large skillet until it is browned. Drain it and pour it into your slow cooker.
Step 2: Stir in all the remaining ingredients and mix them up well.
Step 3: Cover your slow cooker and cook your sauce on low for 8 hours.
PRO TIP: Tempting as it may be, don’t take the cover off of your slow cooker to peek during the cooking process. The heat level is low, and even a quick look will let too much heat escape. 💨
Recipe FAQs
That’s one of the best parts about this recipe! It goes with everything from spaghetti to ravioli…you can also use it as a lasagna sauce. Happiness!
Because the garlic is going to cook low and slow all day, it’s going to mellow out perfectly. I promise.
Mysteriously, we find that the canned tomatoes work even better than fresh for this recipe! But if you feel strongly about it, of course you can – I recommend peeling them first.
Pop your question (or comment, or suggestion) in the Comments section below and I will answer pronto!
This delectable sauce works with whatever pasta you have around. Sometimes I like it with those gorgeous wide pappardelle noodles in the picture above.
Sometimes I like it with good old spaghetti. Sometimes (shhhh…) I just spoon it out and eat it all by its delicious self.
Want to round out your meal?
We love a nice warm piece of bread to mop up every drop of this sauce, and you can’t beat our Almost No Knead Bread (super easy, just remember to start it the day before!). Or maybe some butter Focaccia!
And if you want to add on to this meal with a salad, we love this cherry tomato green bean salad with a purple (and green!) passion! And for dessert? Let’s have a skillet chocolate chip cookie!
Other pasta recipes we love!
Looking for more pasta inspiration? Here is our complete collection of pasta recipes!
We want to know what you think!
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section right below the recipe card.
Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce
This recipe for hearty and flavorful slow cooker pasta sauce takes just three steps, and is the perfect comfort food topping to all kinds of pasta!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours, 10 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop and Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 14 oz cans chopped tomatoes, drained
- 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2 6 oz cans tomato paste
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook beef in large skillet until browned.
- Drain and transfer to 5 quart slow cooker. Stir in all remaining ingredients, mix well.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Serve over your favorite pasta. Happy sigh.
Notes
-
- Ground Beef: We usually use 80/20% fat content ground beef for this recipe, however you can swap in ground turkey if you prefer.
-
- Sugar: The sugar is in here to mellow the acidic flavor of the tomatoes. You can cut it in half if you want to – your pasta sauce will have a little sharper flavor but will still be delicious.
- Onion: We recommend a sweet onion for this recipe, but regular white and yellow onions work well too.
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over
again. Anyway, just wanted to say fantastic
blog!
I’m so sorry! (Especially because I know I would have loved reading it!) But one way or the other – thank you!! :)
I love how you are not stingy with the garlic :)
You can never ever be stingy with garlic! :)
I promise as soon as I can get a decent picture of it I will…it's been a tough one to photograph but I'm working on it!
Can you please share
the recipe for your Chocolate Pudding Cake?
This looks great! I just got into really using my crock pot and have been hunting for recipes to use. I think I will have to try this one soon.
I couldn't believe this could be made in my slow cooker, but it definitely was!! AND – it was perfect, the flavor was awesome from simmering so long. Definitely one I will be making again!
Im making this right now! I promise to do a link back from my site http://theremedycook.blogspot.com come on by sometime!
Making a batch of this now to for my son to take back to college.
I just made this. It is awesome! So easy, I'll be making this all winter!
I just made this today… it's awesome! I was a little worried about the 'slow cooker' thing seeing as i'm often not happy with anything in the slow cooker. Make it, you won't regret it.
I made this for our Christmas dinner (turkey feast was Christmas Eve). Anyway, the family LOVED it! One comment was who needs pasta when the sauce is so delish?? Thanks for sharing- this one is a keeper, for sure!
Marnie
Hi,
I tried your bolognese sauce recipe and can report that it is INDEED delicious!!! My entire family enjoyed it and my daughter who does not eat 'red sauce' loved it. :) Thank you!!
Sharon
Thank you for posting this recipe. I can't wait to try it and I too love my slow cooker but don't make too much in it because of the limited recipes I have that I like. This one looks really really good and I am so looking forward to making it and making the house smell good while it cooks.
Woah. Your spaghetti sauce looks fantastic. I just made spaghetti and meatballs the other day (and blogged about it), but next time I have a hankering for this, I will throw everything in my slow cooker. YUMMY!
Wow! How simple is that! Great way to feed a crowd..and/or a hungry family.