Easy Crock Pot Spaghetti is the real deal – with beef, pasta, sauce and seasonings it’s a cinch to make and full of flavor. A definite thumbs up for an easy slow cooking meal!
Crock pots are one of the greatest inventions…ever! You just sling stuff in and it takes it from there. It is a thing of beauty – there should be a crock pot pageant. Okay -so you get the idea! Anyway, pasta can be hard to get just right in the crock pot. I found that cooking it slowly is best. YEP!! I really did just say that, and adding a little more water to the sauce at the halfway mark is the right thing to do.
Before we get started, let me tell you that this crock pot spaghetti recipe is amazing. The pasta soaks up so much flavor from being cooked for an hour in the sauce, and the extra spices added to the jar of spaghetti sauce give it that extra somethin” somethin”! My mom used to call it “doctoring” the sauce…I don’t know why I always thought that meant adding booze to it!!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR EASY CROCK POT SPAGHETTI
- Ground Beef
- Olive Oil
- Spaghetti Sauce
- Minced Garlic
- Minced Onion
- Italian Seasoning
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Pasta
Here are the stars of the show! The basil and parmesan cheese are not pictured with the cast because they are optional ingredients! *Note – I keep one pound tubs of cooked ground beef in the freezer and just pull them out as needed. It’s economical because I buy ground beef when it is on sale, then cook and store in the freezer. I cannot even tell you what a HUGE time-saver that is. I do the same thing with shredded chicken!
To get started, use the olive oil to grease up the bottom and sides of your crock pot. Use only as much as you need, there should not be a puddle of oil at the bottom of the pot.. Next, throw the drained ground beef, spaghetti sauce, garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, minced onion and hot water into the crock pot. Stir everything around until well mixed, set the crock pot on High for one hour, cover and walk away. Yup, that’s it!
After one hour, the sauce, beef and spice flavors should be coming together nicely. Can you see where the mixture has reduced? …you can see how much by the ring around the top of the sauce.
Now it’s time for the back breaking work (just kidding)! Break the pasta in half and throw it into the sauce. Stir the pasta so that it is covered with the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of water if the sauce is too thick and stir again. Cover the crock pot back up and let the pasta cook for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, the pasta will look like this. The noodles are flexible but not fully cooked. Add the other 1/2 cup of water if needed, stir, cover and cook the pasta and sauce for another 15 – 30 minutes, until the pasta is just cooked the way you like it.
*Note – the pasta cooking time may vary for many different reasons…like the size of your crock pot, the amount of liquid in the sauce and even the brand of the pasta you are using. For the best results, keep an eye on the pasta and remove from the crock pot when it is the consistency you prefer.
Transfer to plates, garnish with basil and Parmesan cheese (optional) and serve hot with toasted Italian bread and a green salad.
If you love crock pot cooking, you might also enjoy Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken, Slow Cooker Herb Chicken and Noodles and Slow Cooker Habanero Chicken Tacos!
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TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
- Crock Pot/ Slow Cooker – for cooking this tasty one pot meal!
- Cast Iron Skillet – for browning the ground beef.
Easy Crock Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef browned and drained
- 24 ounce marinara sauce or Homemade Marinara Sauce
- 3 cloves minced garlic about 1-1/2 tsps
- 1 tbsp minced onion dried
- 1 tbsp italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 cups hot water
- 16 ounces spaghetti pasta
- 1 cup water as needed
- 2 tbsp chopped basil optional
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Grease bottom and sides of the crock pot with olive oil.
- Place the cooked and drained ground beef, spaghetti sauce, garlic, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, minced onion and hot water into the crock pot. Stir until well mixed, cover and set the crock pot on High for 1 hour.
- Break the pasta in half and place in the sauce. Stir the pasta so that it is covered with the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of water if the sauce is too thick and stir again.
- Cover the crock pot and let the pasta cook for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes. add another 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water if needed, stir, cover and cook for another 15 – 30 minutes, until the pasta is done.
Chef Tips
Nutrition Facts
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Hi Renee, I don’t think that will work. The noodles will get mushy after that much time in the cooker. One solution is to cook the noodles beforehand, toss in a little olive oil and refrigerate. Throw the noodles in the slow cooker when you get home and heat them up in the cooked sauce. Hope that helps.?
Can this be cooked on low once the noodles go in for a couple more hours? So that one can start it and have dinner done when the family (including me) gets home?
Hi Rachelle, the water shouldn’t make it bland. The extra spices added to the recipe keep the flavor up. If you find it bland, add a little more spice and maybe some garlic and onion powder to add more flavor. Hope that helps.?
Will added the extra water make the sauce bland?
I made this last night and it was really good. I had to add more water a few times cooking the pasta but not too starchy. Thanks
Hi Rachel, even with the red pepper flakes, we don’t find this too spicy, though I would not double them. The rule of thumb is to multiple the original amount of hot spices (red pepper flakes, cayenne,etc) by 1.25, not by 2 to double the recipe. Hope that helps!?.
I’m excited to make this tonight! I will be doubling the recipe. One question .. I am feeding small children so will the red pepper flakes make this too spicy for them?
Hi Dana, I’m so sorry to hear that. Pasta can get mushy when it’s cooked too long…and the brand of pasta can definitely make a difference in how long it needs to be cooked. I’m going to add a note to the recipe to watch out for this. Thanks for letting me know!
I followed directions to the t and well, my noodles ended up mushy. Sauce is great…lol but disappointed about the noodles.
Thanks for asking. I have doubled the original recipe…using a bigger crockpot, but haven’t tried tripling it. Let me know how it turns out!
Would there be any reason that you could not triple this recipe for a group? It would also be meatless, so that would make room in the crock for more water and pasta! Hoping it will work out
Hi Nicole, the pasta should absorb a lot of the liquid by the time it is soft. If it is still a little thin after the pasta is done, remove the lid and stir while the slow cooker is set to high. This will evaporate some of the steam and thicken up the sauce. Usually I have to add a little water to thin it out once the pasta is done…I would love to know how it turns out for you!
I am cooking this now.I just added pasta noodles.But,it looks like it is going to be too watery and not thick.I will make new review after.
This stuff is amazing Indah…the yummy sauce is absorbed slowly into the pasta and that is what makes this so good! Thanks for the compliments…they are so appreciated! Have a great weekend!
Hugs,
Christine
oooh my, Christine..look sooo define and yummy. I have never tried it but would love to do so..
Hi Karren, thanks for your support! I never thought that I could make really good pasta in the crock pot, until now! Have a super week Karren!! Hugs
This is a great recipe for the crockpot, it looks delicious!! I love using lots of spice in my sauce.
Thank you Christine for being a Hostess on #OMHGWW each week!
Hope you have a great week!
Karren
xo
Hi Theresa, thanks so much! I was surprised by how well the pasta cooked in the crock pot…before I always thought you could not have good pasta without boiling water. This was so easy and no hot pots on the stove! Yay! Thanks for stopping by! Hugs
I didn’t know you can do pasta in the crockpot. I need to try this sometime. Perfect for hot summer days, when you still have to get a meal on the table. Pinned for later.