Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
It's spaghetti night! Who doesn't love a good, comforting bowl of pasta to end your day? Especially a classic, zesty spaghetti sauce? Well I'm, for one, super pumped about it. And after reading this post, you should be too!
I love making this spaghetti sauce during the rainy months up here in the PNW. I don't know about you, but I like my tomato/spaghetti sauces to be super bold, complex and warming, with just the slightest kick of heat. This sauce checks all of those things off my list and then some. With the addition of meaty mushrooms, Italian sausage and a couple of "glugs" of a jammy Cab, this sauce will make you feel super sophisticated and fancy. Pinkie out.
Side note: if you've never made your own homemade tomato/spaghetti sauce before, first of all, what is wrong with you and why have you not been making such a simple, amazing thing from scratch? Kidding, of course. Sort of. But mainly, don't be alarmed by the addition of sugar to your sauce. No, it does not make it sweet. It does, however, cut the acidity from canned tomatoes and balance out your other aromatic flavors.And while I call this spaghetti sauce, it's really more of an everything sauce. Serve it with spaghetti, penne, let's face it, any pasta. I'm personally obsessed with bucatini, a thick, hollow spaghetti. It's divine. Hell, I'll even admit I thoroughly enjoy this sauce served straight up in a bowl with some garlic bread for dipping. Yum.
But, best of all, this sauce is actually a killer lasagna sauce. Layer between lasagna noodles, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, more mozzarella and you'll have yourself a quick, delicious lasagna recipe for another night or store it in the freezer for a rainy day.
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 pound Italian sausage or turkey sausage
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups sliced mushrooms
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 large can crushed tomatoes with puree
1 12 oz can tomato paste
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Red wine
Directions
Cook beef/turkey and sausage, onions garlic and mushrooms in a skillet over medium heat until meat is cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain, then transfer to slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients, adding a couple large "glugs" of wine. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.Serve over your spaghetti or your favorite pasta and/or use as a lasagna sauce!Recipe courtesy of Mama D.
