Spagetti Sauce Italiano
Submitted by dleedy
Slow cooker Italian spaghetti sauce loaded with ground beef, Italian sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, and green peppers. Set it in the morning and come home to a rich, simmered-all-day meat sauce.
YIELD
10 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
10 hrsREADY
10 hrsLet the crockpot do the heavy lifting with this hearty Italian meat sauce.
Ground beef and Italian sausage get browned with onions and garlic, then everything simmers low and slow with tomatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, and herbs until the flavors meld into something deeply savory.
The secret ingredient? Tapioca. It thickens the sauce naturally as it cooks, giving you that cling-to-the-noodle consistency without any fuss.
This makes a big batch, easily feeding 8 to 10, so it’s ideal for family dinners or meal prepping for the week ahead.
Pro Tips
- Brown the meat well before adding it to the crockpot. That caramelized crust builds layers of flavor the slow cooker can’t create on its own.
- Low and slow is the way to go. The full 10 to 12 hours on low gives you a richer, more complex sauce than the high-heat shortcut.
- This sauce freezes beautifully. Portion it into containers and you’ve got weeknight dinners sorted for a month.
Ingredients
Directions
In a skillet cook ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender; drain off fat.
Meanwhile in crockpot, combine undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, green pepper, tapioca, bay leaves, oregano, basil, pepper, and salt.
Stir in browned meat mixture.
Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or high heat setting for 5 to 6 hours.
Remove bay leaves. Serve over hot spaghetti.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
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