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    Home » Recipes » Beef » Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Beef Spaghetti Sauce

    Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Beef Spaghetti Sauce

    Published : March 15, 2020 Updated : October 25, 2020 by Together As Family 12 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Print Recipe

    Come home to an Italian feast with this Slow Cooker ITALIAN SAUSAGE & BEEF SPAGHETTI SAUCE. Two meats simmer all day long in the crock pot for maximum flavor. Leftovers freeze really well for another pasta dinner night.

    ITALIAN SAUSAGE & GROUND BEEF SPAGHETTI SAUCE

    I love making homemade spaghetti sauce in the slow cooker! Instead of simmering on the stove top, this Italian sausage spaghetti sauce simmers for hours in the slow cooker and develops a rich and deep flavor. 

    Serve over some pasta noodles and sprinkle with parmesan cheese for a delicious, straight from an Italian restaurant, pasta dinner. 

    Come home to an Italian feast with this Slow Cooker ITALIAN SAUSAGE & BEEF SPAGHETTI SAUCE. Two meats simmer all day long in the crock pot for maximum flavor. Leftovers freeze really well for another pasta dinner night.

    HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE IN THE SLOW COOKER

    1. Cook and crumble ground beef, mild ground Italian sausage, salt, and diced onion in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain the grease and add into the slow cooker. 
    2. Dump the remaining ingredients into the slow cooker and stir it all together. Cover with lid and cook on LOW heat all day. It's an easy set-it-and-forget- it crock pot recipe.

    INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR ITALIAN SAUSAGE SPAGHETTI SAUCE

    Ground Beef

    Italian Sausage - I always use mild Italian sausage when I make this. I also have used the sweet Italian sausage before as well. If you want more spice and more of a kick, then use a hot Italian sausage. But if you're cooking for kids I would definitely recommend using sweet or mild. 

    Crushed Tomatoes

    Green Pepper

    Beef Broth - You can use the reduced sodium beef broth or regular beef broth. If you use the reduced-sodium then be sure and check the taste and add more salt if necessary. I normally use regular beef broth because then I don't need to add any additional salt and it has lots more flavor!

    Tomato Sauce & Tomato Paste - If wanted, use a tomato sauce and tomato paste with Italian herbs in it. I have used regular tomato sauce and paste before, and I have also made this with the tomato sauce that has Italian herbs added to it. Either works fine. 

    Brown Sugar - Yes, you need this! With all the acid in this recipe (from the tomatoes) you need something sweet to balance it out. Use between 1-2 tablespoons depending on preference. 

    Italian seasoning, dried basil, garlic, salt, & pepper

    Come home to an Italian feast with this Slow Cooker ITALIAN SAUSAGE & BEEF SPAGHETTI SAUCE. Two meats simmer all day long in the crock pot for maximum flavor. Leftovers freeze really well for another pasta dinner night.

    TRY THESE OTHER HOMEMADE SPAGHETTI SAUCE RECIPES

    • homemade spaghetti meat sauce
    • easy weeknight (short-cut) spaghetti sauce
    • the best homemade spaghetti sauce
    Come home to an Italian feast with this Slow Cooker ITALIAN SAUSAGE & BEEF SPAGHETTI SAUCE. Two meats simmer all day long in the crock pot for maximum flavor. Leftovers freeze really well for another pasta dinner night.

    Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Beef Spaghetti Sauce

    Jessica
    Come home to an Italian feast with this Slow Cooker Italian Sausage & Beef Spaghetti Sauce. Two meats simmer all day long in the crock pot for maximum flavor. Leftovers freeze really well for another pasta dinner night.
    3.75 from 48 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 8 hrs
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 12 servings (1 cup each)
    Calories 276 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb ground beef
    • 1 lb mild Italian sausage
    • 1 onion, finely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 green pepper, chopped
    • 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
    • 1 cup beef broth
    • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
    • 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (I use garlic paste)
    • 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (can also use granulated sugar)
    • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Spray the insert of the slow cooker with cooking spray.
    • In a skillet pan, over medium-high heat, add the ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, and salt. Cook and crumble until meat is browned. Drain grease. Add into the slow cooker.
    • Add in the remaining ingredients and stir together. Cover with lid and cook on LOW heat for 7-8 hours.
    • Serve over pasta noodles and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Leftovers freeze really well. I put extra spaghetti sauce in a quart-sized Ziploc freezer bag.

    Notes

    If you want more spice then use hot Italian sausage
     
    I use regular, full-salt beef broth for this recipe. The slow cooker tends to mute flavors with the long cooking time, so I prefer the salt in the beef broth. If you use low sodium beef broth, you may want to add additional salt after the cook time. Just taste and season to preference. 
     
    When you take off the lid after the cook time the sauce will seem really thin and almost liquidy. Leave the sauce in the slow cooker with the lid off to let it thicken up. This sauce is nice and thick, but may not appear to be when you first take off the lid. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 276kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 14gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 1122mgPotassium: 678mgFiber: 3gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 577IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword homemade spaghetti sauce recipe, italian sausage spaghetti sauce, slow cooker spaghetti sauce
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @togetherasfamilyblog on Instagram

    Homemade Spaghetti Sauce Recipe | Come home to an Italian feast with this Slow Cooker ITALIAN SAUSAGE & BEEF SPAGHETTI SAUCE. Two meats simmer all day long in the crock pot for maximum flavor. Leftovers freeze really well for another pasta dinner night. #spaghettisauce #slowcookerrecipes #crockpot #homemadespaghettisauce

     

     

     

     

     

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    Comments

    1. Bobby Hobes

      July 29, 2017 at 6:15 am

      Having a difficult time getting this recipe.

      Reply
      • Together As Family

        July 29, 2017 at 9:12 am

        So sorry Bobby. I had some issues with my recipe plugin but it is all fixed now. Thank you for letting me know.

        Reply
    2. Tiffany

      August 15, 2017 at 8:49 am

      How many servings is this?

      Reply
      • Together As Family

        August 16, 2017 at 12:04 pm

        Lots! haha I would say easily 8+ adult servings. I will usually freeze the leftovers and then use it for any recipe that calls for pasta sauce or get another dinner out of it and serve over pasta noodles another night.

        Reply
    3. Laura

      May 09, 2018 at 9:54 am

      Does the meat not dry out after being in the crock pot since it’s already cooked when it goes in?

      Reply
      • Together As Family

        May 16, 2018 at 10:08 pm

        Nope. I actually love the texture that the ground meat gets in the slow cooker. It gets almost like melt in your mouth, super tender texture. It's really yummy!

        Reply
    4. Diane

      September 30, 2019 at 11:32 am

      Hello!
      I live in Arizona so you can imagine how hot it gets in the summer! This will be perfect! However, I do have one concern. Simmering on top of the stove reduces the sauce into heavenly bliss. How does cooking it in the crockpot compare? Thanks

      Reply
      • Together As Family

        October 13, 2019 at 9:36 am

        This crockpot version is still plenty chunky but it is thinner than a traditional simmered stove top sauce. If you love that thickness, just take the lid of the slow cooker when it's done cooking and that should have the same effect as simmering on the stove top. Or, just let this recipe simmer in a stock pot on the stove instead of the slow cooker.

        Reply
    5. Shawn Fischer

      September 21, 2020 at 11:36 am

      5 stars
      Followed ingredients exactly, only had to do this in a big pot on the stovetop. Turned out excellent. Approx 2.5 hours covered, simmering. Then uncovered to thicken and cool. Made 11 - 1 1/3 cup servings. Excellent sauce. Froze leftover portions. Will make again in crock when I have one.

      Reply
    6. Vincent

      October 02, 2020 at 11:32 am

      I'd like know what a serving size is for this dauce!? It sounds very delicious however! Taking great advantage of the Crockpot(the brand nam.) or slow cooker
      :)!

      Reply
    7. Lori

      February 15, 2021 at 10:04 am

      4 stars
      Very tasty. I added more garlic then it called for, skipped the green pepper (my kids don’t like those) and added a can of diced tomatoes. Very good, we had it for family valentines dinner.

      Reply
    8. Shar

      August 09, 2022 at 5:23 pm

      I made this with homed canned tomatoes and put 3 TBS of brown sugar in. Everyone loved it. Not much left over.

      Reply

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