Low Calorie Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce is convenient for busy weeknights, or when you want to enjoy a comforting meal with minimal effort. The sauce is made by combining a variety of ingredients in a slow cooker and cooking it on low heat for several hours. Stovetop instructions included!
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Check out my Slow Cooker Chicken Stew and my Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Stock for more delicious slow cooker recipes.
To make the low calorie slow cooker spaghetti sauce, place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, stir to combine, cover, and let cook. When it's done, serve the sauce over cooked spaghetti or zucchini noodles and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired. This sauce can also be used in my healthy spaghetti bake recipe.
It's a hearty and filling meal everyone will love.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Making spaghetti sauce in a slow cooker is incredibly convenient and makes it an ideal meal for busy weeknights.
- The slow cooking process allows the flavors of the ingredients to come together and intensify, resulting in a rich and delicious sauce.
- The addition of ground beef to the sauce makes it a hearty and filling meal.
- This spaghetti sauce can be served over pasta, but it can also be used as a base for other dishes.
- This recipe makes a large amount of spaghetti sauce, making it perfect for leftovers.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive Oil: Used to sauté the Garlic, Onion & Green Pepper, which creates a flavorful base for the sauce.
- Lean Ground Beef: Added to the pan and browned until fully cooked, then it is drained of any excess fat.
- Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Sauce & Tomato Paste: Added to the slow cooker along with the sautéed vegetables and browned ground beef.
- Salt, Garlic Powder, Dried Basil, Dried Oregano, Italian Seasoning, Worcestershire Sauce & Ground Black Pepper: Added to the sauce to add depth of flavor and season the sauce to perfection.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, green pepper, and ground beef to the skillet and cook until the ground beef is thoroughly cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
Step 2: Transfer the meat to the slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, all seasonings, and Worcestershire sauce to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
Step 3: Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the sauce is thick and fragrant.
NOTE: You can print the FULL recipe with all ingredients & detailed instructions below!
Expert Tips
- Sautéing the garlic, onion, and green pepper in olive oil before adding it to the slow cooker creates a deeper flavor and provides a foundation for the sauce.
- Browning the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker is important as it removes excess fat. Make sure to drain the excess fat before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Using high-quality canned tomatoes, such as San Marzano, will ensure that your sauce has the best flavor possible.
- The recipe calls for specific seasonings, but you can adjust them to suit your taste. Try adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat (like I do in my spicy marinara recipe), or extra basil for a brighter flavor.
- This recipe calls for ground beef, but you can also use Italian sausage, ground turkey, or even mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
Variations
- Vegetarian: Omit the ground beef and add extra vegetables, such as mushrooms, zucchini, or eggplant.
- Spicy: Try adding a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the sauce.
- Herby: Try adding extra basil or thyme to the sauce.
Stovetop Spaghetti Sauce
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and allow it to heat up.
- Add the diced garlic, diced onion, and diced green pepper to the pot. Sauté them for a few minutes until they become soft and fragrant.
- Add the ground beef to the pot and cook it, breaking it apart with a spoon or spatula, until it is thoroughly browned and no longer pink. Make sure to break the beef into small pieces as it cooks.
- Drain off any excess fat from the pot.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with their liquid), tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt, garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot with the cooked meat and vegetables. Stir everything together to combine all the ingredients.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let the sauce simmer for about 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the sauce to thicken.
- Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings, if needed, to suit your preferences.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Store the spaghetti sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Freezing: If you have a large batch of spaghetti sauce, you can freeze it for later use. Let the sauce cool completely. Spaghetti sauce can be frozen for up to 6 months in an airtight container or freezer bag.
Thawing: It is best to thaw frozen spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator overnight. You can also place the container in a bowl of warm water for a quicker thaw. Once thawed, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Recipe FAQ's
Yes, you can make this recipe in a pressure cooker. Sauté the vegetables and brown the ground beef in the pressure cooker, then add the remaining ingredients and cook on high pressure for 10-15 minutes.
Yes, you can make this recipe vegan by using a plant-based protein, such as tofu or tempeh, instead of ground beef and by leaving out the Worcestershire sauce.
To make the sauce thicker, you can add more tomato paste or let it cook for longer in the slow cooker. You can also use a potato masher to crush some of the tomatoes to create a thicker consistency.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Low Calorie Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeds removed and diced
- 1 pound 93/7 lean ground beef
- 56 ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
- 16 ounces tomato sauce
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried pregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion, green pepper, and ground beef to the skillet and cook until the ground beef is thoroughly cooked through and no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat.
- Transfer the meat to the slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, all seasonings, and Worcestershire sauce to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the sauce is thick and fragrant.
Notes
- Sautéing the garlic, onion, and green pepper in olive oil before adding it to the slow cooker creates a deeper flavor and provides a foundation for the sauce.
- Browning the ground beef before adding it to the slow cooker is important as it removes excess fat and intensifies the flavor. Make sure to drain the excess fat before adding it to the slow cooker.
- Using high-quality canned tomatoes, such as San Marzano, will ensure that your sauce has the best flavor possible.
- The recipe calls for specific seasonings, but you can adjust them to suit your taste. Try adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat, or extra basil for a brighter flavor.
- This recipe calls for ground beef, but you can also use Italian sausage, ground turkey, or even mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
- Storing: Store the spaghetti sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Freezing: If you have a large batch of spaghetti sauce, you can freeze it for later use. Let the sauce cool completely. Spaghetti sauce can be frozen for up to 6 months in an airtight container or freezer bag.
- Thawing: It is best to thaw frozen spaghetti sauce in the refrigerator overnight. You can also place the container in a bowl of warm water for a quicker thaw. Once thawed, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
Krissy Allori
I've never made my own spaghetti sauce. I always thought it would be too much work. But this recipe looks so easy and I love that I can use my crockpot for it. I'm going to give it a go. Thank you!
Christie Gagnon
So much great flavor in this recipe!
Heidy
This Slow cooker hearty spaghetti sauce sure does look hearty with all those yummy chunks of tomatoes and veggies in it. I bet it would be great over penne pasta or another chunky-style pasta. I will have to give this a try sometime in the near future when we have pasta. Looks great.
Cathleen
I love a good slow cooker recipe. I have been eating a lot of pasta lately, so I am definitely giving this a go!!
Jessica Formicola
You just can't beat homemade sauce, and it's even better that it's made in the slow cooker! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Angela
I bet this smells heavenly while is it cooking away. I can't wait to try it!
Cindy
We have been doing so much cooking during quarantine. We have been involving the kids in the process. They help us pick recipes, and make them. They have been loving trying new foods and new ways to make foods! Slowcooker recipes are a mom's friend for sure! I was excited when the kids selected this to make! We made it and LOVED it. The kids are starting to value the slowcooker as well! Life skills, right? 🙂 Yumm!
Nicole Tingwall
I love that you adapted this classic recipe for the slow cooker! Perfect for busy days with my little one! Thanks for the great recipe!