Meaty Crockpot Pasta Sauce is made with ground round and a blend of simple spices. It is a cinch to make in a Crockpot, and makes enough for several meals.
What one appliance allows you to prep your ingredients, press the start button and leave for hours? The slow cooker or Crockpot! This past year I upgraded to a programmable Crockpot, which automatically defaults to a warm setting when the cooking time is complete.
I L-O-V-E that feature!
There is nothing worse then leaving work anticipating a delicious cooked meal to arrive home to an awful smell of an overcooked flank steak! That piece of meat wasn’t meant to be slow cooked on the highest setting for 11 hours or so – whoops!
Not that happened or anything 😉
This recipe is adapted from a 2001 Special Edition, “In Good Time” slow cooker magazine from Weight Watchers.
The aroma of a simmering tomato-based sauce is fantastic! You should dip some bread in the sauce and taste it to make sure the flavors have blended perfectly! You might want to do that a couple of different times 😉
This slow cooked pasta sauce tastes just as good as if it had been on the stove simmering for several hours, and no splatters of the sauce on your range to clean up!
Put the sauce over your favorite pasta or some cheese raviolis like I did. It’s delicious! You will  have enough sauce left for another meal, maybe even two!
Meaty Crockpot Pasta Sauce
Delicious flavorful sauce simmers in your slow cooker blending the flavors to perfection.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground round
- 30 ounces tomato sauce
- 28 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained (2 14 ounce cans)
- 12 ounce tomato paste (2 6 ounce cans)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 beef flavored bouillon cube
Instructions
- Cook meat in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stir and break meat up to crumble. Drain well.
- Place cooked meat in a 5-6 quart slow cooker. Add tomato sauce and remaining chopped vegetables and spices. Cover with lid and cook on high setting 1 hour. Reduce to low heat and cook for 6 to 7 hours.
Notes
You may vary the meat of your choice, like turkey in addition to sausage instead of beef. Makes about 10 cups of sauce. I also use organic as much as possible and also tomatoes without added sugar.
Sandra
You’ll be so glad to have a stash of sauce ready to add to your meals. It really saves on time when putting together a dish.
Heather @ SugarDish(Me)
I sure could go for a plate of this!!!! The crockpot is SUCH a lifesaver. It’s the best! I’m sorry about your flank steak. But that sauce is GORGEOUS!!
Sandra
Having lots of this sauce made it so much simpler to make a couple of meals, and on the table quick!
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen
My daughter’s boyfriend just bought a slow cooker.. they’re such a great asset to a kitchen! I’ll have to tell her to try this recipe:)
Sandra
Hi Barbara! Slow cookers are handy! I got my first one as a wedding gift many moons ago, and just got a newer one. They last forever 🙂 I hope your daughter’s boyfriend gives this recipe a try!
Sandra
Thanks, Allison! The evenings are so busy, especially when you have after school activities. It gets harder to manage everything! Have a great week 🙂
Sandra
VERY easy! I hope you try it 🙂
Sandra
Thank you! I enjoy my evenings more when I have a meal ready to go every so often!
Sharon
I noticed that you show the sauce in canning jars, can I do the same and store some? Recipe makes a lot and we are two seniors.
Sandra
Hi Sharon! Yes you can preserve this sauce. Follow https://nchfp.uga.edu for directions. It would also be easy to cut down the recipe in half if you want. Thank you for stopping by! ~Sandra
Sharon
Thanks. I’ll do the whole thing for when the family comes (5 GKs)
Sandra
🙂 lucky you!!
Norma Chang
Would you believe I do not own a crockpot or a slow cooker. Thought about getting one but somehow always managed to talk myself out of it.
Sandra
I’ve enjoyed the heck out of mine, but I probably don’t use it as much as I could!