Crockpot Spaghetti

Cooking spaghetti in the crockpot makes it a great dinner that is so easy to make.  The flavors mingle all day long giving the sauce such a delicious flavor. 

This is a recipe that I got from my mom.  I originally made it in a large pot on the stove top.  After making it a few times, I realized it would be so much easier to make it in the Crock-Pot and now that is the only way I make it.

I love making homemade spaghetti sauce.  Not only is it delicious but by using simple ingredients, I know what ingredients are going into our dinner.

Why use a crockpot to make spaghetti?  By using the crockpot you can make the spaghetti sauce earlier in the day and it will be cooking while you are out of the kitchen. The flavors have a lot of time to mingle in there which makes the spaghetti so delicious.  And it will be waiting for you at dinner time! You will just need to cook the noodles!

A time saving tip: When I make spaghetti I usually just brown the meat in my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet and crumble it with a spatula instead of making meatballs.  It saves time by not having to make and cook the meatballs before adding them to the sauce.  

How to make Crockpot Spaghetti:

Brown the meat by placing the beef in your skillet and cook it on medium heat.  Using a spatula or large spoon, stir the meat occasionally to ensure the beef cooks evenly.  While doing that, crumble the meat up with your utensil so that it is in smaller pieces to add to the sauce. 

Once the meat is browned, drain off the fat.  Place the beef into your crockpot.

Cut up the pepper and onion into small pieces.  I usually use a green bell pepper but if the grocery store is out of them, I use a red or orange bell pepper.

Sometimes I add in some shredded carrot to add some more vegetables and nutrition to my sauce.  (Trust me, nobody but you will know it is in there!) Peel and shred the carrot, if you are using it.  To shred the carrot, I use my lemon zester/grater. 

Place all the vegetables in your crockpot with the browned beef.  Add in the garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and water. Give everything a good stir.

Cover the crockpot, and cook on high 4-6 hours or low 6-8 hours. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.  If you like, garnish with fresh herbs such as oregano or basil. 

Another time saving tip: If you don’t have time to prepare the sauce that day, it can all be prepped the day before.  Just keep the cut up vegetables and cooked beef covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it the next day.  Then place all ingredients in the crockpot.  Turn it on and you are good to go!

How to measure the correct amount of pasta:

The serving size for spaghetti noodles is usually about 2 ounces of uncooked noodles or one cup cooked noodles. Sometimes it is hard to figure out how much to place in the pot of boiling water.

Here are some great ideas to measure out the dry pasta so that you won’t be stuck with too much or too little pasta.

Think the diameter of a quarter.  That is about what 2 ounces of dry spaghetti noodles will be.  

Make a circle with your thumb and index finger and then fill that in with dry spaghetti noodles.  

Take a look at the pasta box and the recommended servings on the nutrition label.  If it suggests 8 servings, then divide out 8 separate piles as equal as possible.  Place each one in a Ziploc bag and keep on hand in the pantry, ready to go for your next spaghetti dinner.

Want to cook the noodles ahead of time?  Use a muffin pan for this one!  Fill up each muffin area of the pan with cooked spaghetti noodles.  Each one equals one serving of pasta.  Then place them covered in the refrigerator or freezer to have for dinner on another night.

Have leftover sauce?  Place the sauce in a freezer safe dish and freeze it for another day.  Perfect for when you are short on time but want a delicious homemade dinner.  

Do you love cheese? Check out my Spaghetti Parm recipe!  That one is a favorite dinner recipe in our house and is often requested as a special birthday dinner.

Did you make this recipe?  If you did, please let me know how you liked it with a comment/rating below!  Thanks and have a wonderful day!

4.34 from 3 votes

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Crockpot Spaghetti

This easy to make delicious crockpot dinner recipe is perfect for your busy family nights.  

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword spaghetti dinner recipe, crockpot dinner recipe, easy crockpot dinner recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Jeannie Z

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 12 ounce can tomato paste
• 2 cups water
• 1 bell pepper, diced (green, red or orange)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1-2 carrots, peeled and shredded (optional)
• ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Whole grain spaghetti noodles
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• Fresh herbs such as oregano or basil to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Brown the meat on medium heat in skillet, stirring occasionally. Break up the meat into small pieces while cooking using a spatula or large spoon.

2. Cut up the pepper and onion.  If using carrot, peel and shred the carrot.

3. Place browned meat into the crockpot.

4. Add in the peppers, onion and carrot.  Add in the garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

5. Pour in the diced tomato, tomato paste and water.
6. Mix all ingredients together.
7. Cover and cook on high 4-6 hours, low 6-8 hours.

8. Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles.  

9. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and/or fresh herbs. (optional)

Recipe Notes

• If you don't have time to prepare the sauce that day, it can all be prepped the day before.  Just keep the cut up vegetables and cooked beef covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it the next day.  Then place all ingredients in the crockpot and turn it on. 
• A time saving tip: When making spaghetti  just brown the meat in your skillet over medium heat. Crumble it with a spatula and add to your sauce instead of making meatballs.  It saves time by not having to make and cook the meatballs before adding them to the sauce.  
• Got leftover sauce?  The sauce can be frozen. Place it in a freezer safe dish and freeze it for another day.  Perfect for when you are short on time but want a delicious homemade dinner.  

This post is not sponsored, but you will find affiliate links on this page.  The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but I may make a small commission based on your purchase. 

Update Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2015, but was published again in 2020 to include step by step directions, nutritional information and new photos.