Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

🛒Ingredients

With this slow cooker recipe, you can make a mouthwatering spaghetti bolognese with minimal effort. Just cook the meat mixture in the slow cooker, and you'll achieve that traditional and delicious flavor.

• Minced garlic - always use fresh garlic for the best flavor.
• Vegetables - you'll need brown or yellow onion, carrot, and celery sticks. Feel free to add bell peppers or other vegetables of your choice (we also love adding sauteed mushrooms).
• Lean ground meat - substitute beef with ground turkey, pork, or Italian sausage. Or alternatively, you can use frozen meatballs instead. When cooking everything in one pot, I like to use lean meat without ending up with lots of fat in my sauce.
• Beef broth - veggie or chicken broth can be used as a substitute.
• Passata - you can use tomato puree or fire-roasted tomatoes.
• Tomato paste - make sure to use good quality tomato paste, as it forms the base and enhances the flavor of the sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce - for extra depth of flavor you can also add ½ cup of dark red wine.
• Apple cider vinegar - any mild vinegar will work.
• Herbs - bay leaves and dried oregano are essential. Don't skip these! You can also add other herbs or Italian seasoning for an authentic Italian taste.
• Honey - use honey or maple syrup to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Adjust the amount to suit your taste. If you don't have these, brown sugar is the best substitute.
• Salt and black pepper - good-quality salt, such as sea salt or kosher salt, for the best natural flavor.

📋Tips

• For convenience, you can use canned tomatoes in this dish. Or Ro-Tel tomatoes. They'll give it a subtle kick of spiciness.
• Season the sauce well. Feel free to adjust the amount of salt and pepper in the recipe according to your taste preferences. It's all about finding that perfect balance of flavors.
• To offset acidity from tomatoes, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar instead of honey. But this is optional and sauce tastes delicious without it. 
• Use low-sodium broth if you want to reduce salt intake. 
• To avoid ending up with mushy pasta, it's important to cook the dry spaghetti noodles separately from the tomato sauce. If you cook them together in the crockpot, they'll become overcooked and lose their texture.
• Easily adjust the flavor of this easy crock pot spaghetti by including different herbs and spices. 
• To enhance the flavor, top the spaghetti sauce with freshly grated mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese. Grate the cheese from a block as this way it will incorporate into the sauce better. The cheese adds a delightful touch and brings out the flavors even more.
• Why is my bolognese watery in a slow cooker? If the bolognese is watery, it hasn’t been reduced enough to get rid of extra liquid. To further reduce the red sauce, simmer on the warm setting of the slow cooker with the lid off.
  Another option is to add a cornstarch slurry to the meat sauce or even cream cheese. Both of these options will help thicken the consistency.
• Cook the bolognese in the crock pot with the lid on. I would only recommend taking the lid off and allowing the sauce to simmer if you need the sauce to reduce further.

Storage Instructions

If you can, don't mix the pasta sauce and spaghetti in the pot. I'd rather, top the individual portions with a dollop of sauce for better storing leftovers later.

• 🍱To Store. Let the sauce cool completely. Store slow cooker spaghetti sauce in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days in the fridge. The sauce will thicken as it sits and when reheating you may need to add some water or broth to return the initial consistency.
• 🥶Freezing. Follow the same steps and place the sauce (only beef sauce) into an airtight container. Frozen sauce should last in the freezer for up to  2-3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop. Stir constantly until warmed through.