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Crockpot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce delivers everything you love about classic spaghetti with a fraction of the effort. Here, we skip the jar of pasta sauce and instead make a homemade spaghetti sauce right in the slow cooker. The payoff in taste is well worth the effort. Follow along, and I’ll show you how to make this family-friendly favorite.

Close up overhead photo fo crockpot spaghetti.

This Homemade Crockpot Spaghetti is everything we love about classic spaghetti…but with way less effort! It's the perfect family-friendly dinner to add to your weeknight rotation, with all the hearty, comforting vibes of a traditional spaghetti dinner perfectly cooked in your slow cooker.

Serve with homemade bread machine garlic bread, my super-easy air fryer garlic bread, and a side salad, and prepare for satisfied smiles at your dinner table.

Overhead photo of ingredients to make Crockpot Spaghetti.

Let's Talk Ingredients

I like using 80/20 ground beef because it brings more richness, but I've made this with lean beef and that works too. You can also swap in ground turkey or even Italian sausage if you want a different twist.
For sweetness, I've tested with sugar, honey and a sugar alternative. They all work.
If you’d rather cook the pasta separately (it is a tiny bit better), just cook normally and stir them into the sauce at the end. Unlike my slow cooker chicken alfredo, cooking the pasta separately does not require any other modifications to the recipe.

Step by Step

Overhead photo of onion, carrots and celery sauteing. — Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot; cook for 5 minutes.

Onion, celery, carrots, and ground beef cooking in a skillet. — Add ground beef; cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon.

Ground beef, onion, celery, carrots, and seasonings in a slow cooker. — Drain excess fat and transfer mixture to slow cooker. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; drizzle with honey and stir to combine

Tomatoes and broth added to a slow cooker with ground beef, onion, carrots, and celery. — Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth; stir

Uncooked pasta on top of a meat sauce in a slow cooker. — Add uncooked spaghetti noodles.

Crockpot spaghetti ready to cook. — Press to ensure they are covered by liquid. Cover and cook on high for 1 ½ hours or low for 4 hours.

Tips and Tricks

Prep Ahead: Dice your onions, celery, and carrots in advance to make this easier. You can even find pre-diced blends sometimes in the produce section.
Don’t Skip the Saute: While I love dump-and-go slow cooker recipes, the sacrifice in flavor isn’t worth it here.
Check Liquid Levels: Make sure the dry spaghetti is fully submerged in the tomato sauce.
Stir Midway: Give the spaghetti a good stir halfway through cooking to prevent sticking. Because your slow cooker can loose heat quickly, make sure you have your spoon ready to go when you open the lid, and get the lid back on as soon as you can.
Slow Cooker Size: Use a large slow cooker (6-quart or more) to accommodate the volume of ingredients and ensure even cooking.

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Square overhead photo of crockpot spaghetti.

Print Recipe

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Crockpot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Prep Time15

Cook Time4

Total Time4 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 463kcal

Author: Wendy Polisi

Equipment

Slow Cooker

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
1 onion diced
2 celery stalks diced
1 carrot diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
28 ounce crushed tomatoes
6 ounces tomato paste
3 cups beef broth
1 pound dry spaghetti noodles
For topping: fresh basil parsley or oregano, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Add the ground beef and cook until the ground beef is browned, breaking it up with the back of a spoon.
Drain the excess fat, and transfer the mixture to your slow cooker.
Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper, and sugar. Stir to combine.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and broth, and stir.
Add the dry spaghetti and press to make sure it is covered by the liquid.
Cover and cook on high for 1 ½ hours, or low for 4 hours.
Stir and add cheese if desired.

Notes

Leftover spaghetti will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about three days. You can also freeze spaghetti for three months.

Nutrition

Filed Under:

Main Dish Recipes