Meat-Lover's Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

This is my go-to spaghetti sauce recipe. Only thing I do different is add in fresh veggies to really stretch the sauce (shredded zucchini, shredded carrots, chopped peppers, fresh sliced mushrooms, and spinach) and I double the sausage. This is great with turkey sausage and ground turkey or chicken. This also freezes well for those who like to make big batches and freeze to thaw out on busy days. Most of these ingredients can be bought cheaply at Aldi/Grocery Outlet for very little. NOTE: Using roasted canned tomatoes is a bonus added flavor, too. Also, if you pre-spray your plastic freezer containers with non-stick spray, they'll wipe clean when ready to wash and will not be stained.

To make dinner even quicker, prepare and freeze the pasta ahead of time. Thaw it in boiling water, and in less than 2 minutes it's ready to use. I always boil the whole package of pasta when I cook it then freeze leftoverrs. What a time saver.

Sweet and savory often go together. Also, here's a tip for those who say the sauce was watery. Place a clean kitchen towel draped over the open crockpot and then place the lid on the pot. The towel will soak up the steam and evaporation and help with this. You can do this with other crock pot foods as well that tend to water down. In the case of this sauce, be prepared to stain the towel.

This sauce is fantastic. My husband ate every drop and is definitely not normally a spaghetti sauce fan. Some people were critical of the sugar in the recipe, but I don't know how you could call yourself a foodie and not be familiar with sugar as a part of a tomato based sauce, a very traditional preparation. It's a chemistry thing- all the acid in the tomatoes take on a smoother and more complex flavor with even just a little sugar. As others suggested I added some carrot in with the sauce, so decreased the sugar by just a smidge. My family loves garlic, so in addition to the first teaspoon of garlic powder I added several minced garlic cloves. Thank you for the recipe, it's delicious!~

The issue to not use sugar because this sauce is too sweet is really not valid. Sugar is used in tomato based sauces to mellow the acidic bite. I personally use brown sugar rather than white because I like the added flavor I get from it. 1 tablespoon of sugar in that much sauce will truly not make it sweet. It's like adding salt to sweet dishes. It brings out the other flavors. Give it a try :-)!

Don't get me wrong-- I'm no health nut, I'm just a foodie. I enjoy baked goods and desserts, but they are the only place that I want to see sugar; not in a spaghetti sauce. The only other problem that I had with this recipe (after editing out the refined sugar) was that the size slow cooker necessary was omitted. Nowadays there are many sizes available, including 2-4-6 convertibles, and size recommendations would have been helpful.

This is wonderful! I am upset at the one reviewer who discounted it because of the miniscule amount of sugar. I, too, am a foodie...and adding a little sugar to tomato dishes, as most foodies would know, is a great way to cut back on the acidity and blend the flavors. I did add more veggies to my sauce, but otherwise I wouldn't change anything!

This is a great recipe; very similar to something I have been using for years. Thanks also to the author for adding the bit about chunks of sausage, versus ground - I wondered where the chunky bit was supposed to come in! You needn't worry about this amount of sugar in a crock pot full of healthy ingredients. There will be no noticeable"sweetness", it is more like a "smoothness" that would be missing without it. It's all about balance! Thanks for a terrific recipe!!

I'm very fussy about my spaghetti sauce and this is a winner. I did take the suggestion to use a carrot in place of sugar and it worked very wel. Thanks. Will use this often.

...I licked the plate clean... 'nuff said.

Great sauce - very flavorful (and meaty!). I cooked this on high for 4 hours in the slowcooker because I didn't have time to wait 8. I did add a small can of tomato paste at the end to thicken it up a bit - otherwise made as written. Thanks for the recipe!

Excellent sauce! I served it to my family (including DD's BF) and they all raved about it. I added bell pepper and celery to the sauce, and a little wine. Mushrooms would also be nice. I must admit that since my rectangular slow cooker was too small for this recipe, I did simmer the sauce in a soup pot on the stove for about 4 hours. If you do this, be sure to check it regularly. We really liked the combination of ground meat and (turkey) Italian sausage. Thanks, Ashley!

Well done. The sugar cuts the tartness of the tomatoes and does not actually "sweeten" the sauce. As for the "size" of the slow cooker, one might add up the fluid ounces (about 64) and the amount of beef (1.5 lbs) and decide to use a slow cooker to accommodate the stated amounts. The only thing I omitted was the marjoram only because I didn't have any. The sauce has a "sticktoitiveness" that doesn't run from the pasta. I did increase the Italian sausage to equal that of the ground beef. We loved it and it has become a favorite. Rich, true depth of flavor, easy to prepare and a recipe I've shared with many friends and family. All agree, it is delicious!!

This was a truly yummy and scrumptious sauce. I followed the recipe pretty closely but had to make a few changes based on the ingredients on hand. I sauteed the beef, sausage, and onions all in one pot, I used a 28 oz can crushed tomatoes in place of the tomato sauce, and used fresh basil and marjoram. I rinsed the crushed tomato can with about 1/2 cup red wine. I added a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic, and more herbs and spices. Tripled the sugar, I like a sweeter sauce. Since the sauce was very thick, I also added a cup of beef broth to thin a bit. S & P to taste. It was wonderful! A keeper and a definite do over. Plenty of sauce went in the freezer. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

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Spaghetti Sauce has always intimidated me a bit so I've never attempted making it from scratch. This is exquisite and EASY. I used pureed tomatoes instead of stewed tomatoes because I don't like big chunks of them. It turned out amazing. My house smelled like an italian restaurant! Make this sauce! You will NOT be disappointed! I can't wait to eat more for lunch tomorrow!

This was FANTABULOUS! I cooked the onions w/the ground beef & added fresh minced garlic + seasoning of the beef; everything else was exactly as called for in the recipe. My son + his friend both had 2nds and my son asked when are you making this again!!! New fav meal! Thank you Ashley.

Sauteed Celery in a slow cooking sauce is a great way to add sweetness and not a ton of calories.. It also neutralizes the acidicity from the tomatoes

This is excellent spaghetti sauce! I will also use this for my lasagna. No need to brown sausage and beef separately. I did them both together with the onions and garlic and it still turned out great. Instead of white sugar, I used brown. I also added 1 bay leaf and 1/4 t more of basil and 1/2 lb of sausage rather than 1/4 just because I had it on hand. It was a perfect consistancy after only cooking for 6 hours. This is a keeper!

I've been trying to use my slow cooker more in order to eat at a reasonable time when I get home from work. I was eager to try this sauce, as I usually make my mom's sauce on the stove and let that simmer for about 3 hours. 1. I didn't see a reason for the olive oil since the onion can sauté in the grease from the sausage. 2. I also didn't see a reason to brown the sausage and ground beef separately. Go ahead and cook that all at once. 3. Italian seasoning is basically basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme, but then the recipe calls for more of those individually later on. I'd skip the Italian seasoning altogether, and just use whichever individual herbs you prefer. 4. Just add all the garlic powder at once. No need to add 1 tsp in the first step, then 2 more tsp in the second step. Or even better, use fresh minced garlic if you're not pressed for time. Having said all that, I ended up taking the recommendations from others and adding in 1 shredded zucchini, along with a couple shredded carrots and half a minced green pepper for added depth of flavor. I also added in an extra can of tomato sauce because I used more italian sausage than called for. I only cooked it for 6 hours and it was very tasty. You will likely need to add some salt to this in order for the flavors to really pop. A great base recipe. Not watery at all, just place a dishtowel under the lid to absorb the excess moisture. I served this sauce over spaghetti squash for a lower calorie/carb meal.

This sauce is so very watery it's not like sauce, it's like broth. The flavor is incredibly bland and I had to add nearly double the amount of seasoning to stop my spaghetti with red broth taste like something. I will never use this recipe again, nor wish this recipe on my worst enemy.

We loved this sauce! I did add a bit more sugar and doubled the Sweet Italian link sausage. I'm glad you posted about the link sausage instead of bulk. I removed the casing as stated and cut them into chunks. It was like having mini meat balls. The meat absorbed the wonderful flavor of the sauce. Added large package of fresh sliced mushrooms. You need a big crock pot though my 5 quart wasn't big enough. Had to slow cook some on the stove top but it was worth it. Spaghetti sauce taste better the 2nd and 3rd day. So I made it the day before. The chunks of tomatoes and the sausage makes for a delicious chunky sauce. Other than adding a little more sugar, mushrooms, and more sausage I followed the recipe as posted. Thanks Ashley. This is printed and in my recipe book and is now our spaghetti sauce recipe. YUMMY!

have made this twice, first in crock pot then stovetop because of last minute decision to make it. it is thick, tomato-ey. it's a keeper. i also increased the amount of italian sausage the second time. i used carrots the second time instead of sugar, which i think i prefer. i think i will try a can of fire roasted tomatoes next time, and some red wine. i like it. lots of room to play with it.

I love homemade sauce and this is right up there. I chose to do a split on the italian sausage & ground beef (equal amounts) and also chose to add 1/2 cup cabernet sauvignon to the sauce. VERY good spaghetti sauce!!!

I made spaghetti for the football team one night, and had never made sauce from scratch. I saw this recipe and decided to use it. I calculated the recipe for 56 servings and started cooking. I used two roaster ovens, sealing the cooking pan with foil. Cooked all day at 200-225 degrees. All the parents that were helping asked for the recipe. Some of the football boys still ask my daughter when I am going to make spaghetti again! Normally at Christmas we make baked goods for family and friends. This year, we are giving quart bags of spaghetti sauce frozen and vacuum-packed with the cookies. I think I will toss in the sweet Italian sausages in addition to the meat in the recipe for more flavor and chunkiness. Thank you for posting a great recipe!!!!!!

This is by far the BEST spaghettin recipe I have ever seen. I can't find anyplace to get the Sweet Italian Sausage other than in ground form but even using the ground Mild Italian Sausage it is FABULOUS. I used 1/2 pound of the ground Italian sausage to 1 pound of ground beef. I am not a huge fan of chunks of tomato in my spaghetti sauce so I used the "petite" diced tomatoes and replaced the stewed tomatoes with the same "petite" diced tomatoes. They cooked down very nicely. Other than those few things I wouldn't change anything else in this recipe. I will be making that a lot.

I also cooked the sausage and ground meat (I used turkey) together. Very easy to assemble and tasty. I will say that, for me, 8 hours on low was too long. It burned some. Six would probably be enough.

So yummy. Freezes very well.

I have to make this sauce at least once a month, its incredible. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes; my last batch cooked for 17 hours and was heavenly.

I'm 62 years old and have been making my own spaghetti sauce for forty years...and, my family loves it! But, I decided to give this receipe a shot. Without a doubt, hands down...this is the best spaghetti sauce EVER. I DIDN'T CHANGE A THING, only adding mushrooms!

It should be noted that all canned tomatoes are not the same. some are very bitter and the sauce would be ruined without the addition of a tsp of sugar or two. this also brings into play what all good cooks do. taste the sauce before you add it, if you don't need it don't put it in.

With regard to sugar being added due to acidity, there are particular brands of tomatoes that won't require that you add sugar. If you're in the south, Publix carries Cento (canned) and Pomi (BPA free "carton") brand tomatoes. These are both imported from Italy. I have only tried the Cento brand and have been pleased with the taste. I have not experienced issues with acidity using this brand.

I don't know why I tried this recipe because as I was making it, I couldn't understand why all the different types of tomato products and why all the different herb products. Dried Italian herbs (called for 1 tsp.) has oregano, basil and marjoram in it already so why add more. No one in my family was crazy about this sauce. We at it just to get rid of it and I did follow the recipe as written.

Made with 1 lb hot italian sausage instead of beef/sausage mix. Substituted italian seasoning for oregano/marjoram. Used all crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Thanks!

You can also use Yves Veggie Ground Round to make this meatless. I also add diced or sliced mushrooms, celery, diced green peppers, and zucchini. This is so similar to the recipe I have been making for decades that it pretty much is the same, just minus the veggies. I also add bay leaves but remove them when I put the cooked sauce in containers and freeze them for later meals. Can't be a real sauce without garlic being added though.

The flavor of this is so wonderful. There is enough here to feed an army though, and since there is only two of us, we wasted most of it, but next time we'll freeze it, or have company over!!

This is a great recipe! I too used linked Italian sausage and the next time, I'll increase the sausage and decrease the ground beef. I agree that the sugar is necessary and doesn't really make the sauce sweet. I don't care for sweet sauce and this isn't.

I haven't tasted this sauce yet, but to let people know, the sugar is added to add flavor to food , I 'm a cook and baker I've cooked for restaurants and they also put sugar in some of their foods to enhance flavor. Thanks Rose

This is just like the meat sauce my family makes and loves. Not just for this recipe but other recipes also....if you put two paper towels inside the top of the slow Cooker the water does not drip back into the food. It will help keep sauces thicker. I have not had that problem with this sauce. We also add a pound of Italian sausage out of the the casing and broken into pieces...it gives a lot more flavor than just the ground beef.

This is a GREAT recipe, Shortcut is to brown the ground beef and sausage all at once. There is no need to have to go through browning twice with sausage, then beef!

Fantastic! To thicken the sauce a bit I just vented the lid about an hour before serving. I used a 29 oz can of crushed tomatoes instead of the tomato sauce and added crushed red pepper flakes and mushrooms. I definitely will make this again; my husband and I loved it. This makes a TON of sauce so I'm looking forward to having leftovers for lunches. Thanks! :)

Fabulous, and easy! I skipped the onions (husband detests onions) and cut the garlic powder in half (ditto). Also, rinsed the cans out with a little red wine and added that too. (Can never hurt! ;-) ) I thought it might need salt and pepper, so I tasted it halfway through, but it wasn't needed. The ingredients have enough seasoning already. This is a keeper. Absolutely delicious!

Fabulous sauce! I omitted the ground beef, used 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, used pureed tomatoes instead of stewed. I simmered it on the stove for 4 hours. My family loved it; I'm making more now to put in the freezer!

fabulous!

Added red wine. Should have added sugar

It was ok. Ended up greasy and not enough sauciness

This is super easy and SO good- I did add 2 pounds of hamburger and 1 pound of mild sausage to which I added italian seasoning and garlic when it was cooking-I also like to add chopped green pepper and mushrooms. This is SO much better than Prego or Ragu and I hope to make enough after we pick our tomatoes in the fall to make, cook and then can with the meat. Since there is meat in the sauce it will need to be at 10 pounds of pressure for 40 minutes for quarts. (or 15 pounds of pressure if you are at high elevation). SUPER recipe!! TEN STARS!!!!

This is a great tasting spaghetti sauce!

Yum, yum, yum! My family and I loved this recipe! It was flavorful and tasty, and this easily makes two meals for a family of 5. The only changes I made were to use one pound of ground beef and one pound of bulk Italian sausage (my boys like meat!), I used 3 tbsp. chopped garlic instead of garlic powder, and I cooked all of the ingredients together to save time before adding to the crockpot. Otherwise, I followed the recipe, and it was delicious! Thanks so much for sharing!

Loved this recipe. I forgot to add the sugar and afterwards thought why add it with as wonderful a taste. I also used lean turkey italian sausage and lean ground beef. I then froze it in servings for later use, too.

EASY and tasty! Went a little heavy on the herbs and spices for a more robust flavor and the family loves it.

THIS IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST Spaghetti sauce i have ever made!!! I did make three small changes. 1) I used sweet italian sausages and cut them out of the casings; 2) I used brown sugar, not white sugar; 3) I used a can of mild Rotel instead of diced tomatoes! It was delicious!!! I am going to double the recipe this weekend so I can freeze it!

AMAZING!! I doubled the recipe and put rest in freezer. It is incredibly tasty. Used deer sausage (1lb) to 2lb ground beef, did not add any sugar. And Ashley's right....the longer it cooks, the better it is!

I don't know why I don't make homemade spaghetti sauce more often. This turned out delicious. I used what I had in the pantry, which meant a can of diced tomatoes instead of stewed. I ran them through the blender just enough to get rid of any chunks. I also added 1 extra tablespoon of Italian seasoning. A very nice dinner tonight, and I'll put leftovers in the freezer for more easy meals .

I made this yesterday. What a disappointment! It had the worst muddy burnt taste and it was not burnt at all.

I have finally found the sauce I was looking for!! I have tried many other recipes, and have never been content..until now. I followed this recipe to a T, and it was perfect!!!!! Give it a try!!!

This was delicious! Everyone including my 3 picky kids cleaned their plates! I forgot to put it in the crockpot in the morning so I just cooked it in a pot on the cooktop for a couple of hours. I read the other reviews and followed a couple of suggestions. I used sweet Italian sausage links and removed the casings. I browned them with the onion and ground beef. I also added a 1/4 cup of brown sugar. I will definately make this again!

A very flavorful and hearty sauce. It's excellent! Next time I'll try it with veggies as others suggested.

I have been making different verions of the recipe for years due to what I have on hand and just tweaking it to my family's taste, There is one in my family that also does not like chunks of tomato so I use crushed tomatoes. Give it a try.

I make a sauce very similar to this. I always double the recipe and use 2 crock pots. Wonderful-delicious. I freeze mine in ziplock bags. Fabulous for a quick supper and great for company too. Add a salad and bread or not. I love having frozen spaghetti sauce in my freezer.

Ok, this was absolutely delicious! I have made this one before, but this time, I mixed it up a bit...For one thing, I used Blondprincess' take on it and used equal parts of Johnsonville Italian ground sausage and the leanest ground beef I could find. The only other thing I did was mix some of the ground beef and ground sausage together and made some meatballs to make it more interesting. The result was absolutely fantastic!! THANK YOU to Johnsonville Sausage!!!

Delicious and easy. I love slow cooker recipes! My apartment smelled so good. I couldn't wait to get to it. I used a whole pound of sweet sausage in the casing which ended up being my favorite part. Thanks, Ashley!

Good and easy! Nice to have it in the slow cooker. Some water gathered on top of the lid during cooking and fell back into the sacue, making it a tad watery, so I started trying to drain the water that collected up there.

add 1 cup finely shredded carrots...

This is now my husband's favorite sauce. We like a meatier sauce, so I added more Italian sausage. So easy...and it freezes well.

I was a little surprised at the Italian herb addition when browning the meat,along with the powdered garlic, and then add more of them in the form of thyme, basil, marjoram and oregano to the sauce, which are already included in the Italian herb mix, tsp of which would not have much effect on flavoring the recipe. If I have them on hand, I always add grated carrots even to jarred sauce. Nice and gets some veggies in there. I am not a fan of stewed tomatoes as I don't care for the flavors. I saw some comments about the sauce being greasy. When the browned meat is drained, hardly any grease goes into the sauce. I also have simply added the meat uncooked to the sauce (jarred or otherwise) and it cooks just fine in the sauce, like I do with meatballs or sausage. You could probably skip the browning process altogether if you chose to. If the sauce is a little too thin for your liking, simply leave the lid off and let some of the water evaporate while cooking. And, yes, sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes and does not make the sauce sweet, especially not the minuscule amount added. I also noted no salt/pepper being added. This is a taste-as-you-go recipe and may need some adjusting, along with a few red pepper flakes, perhaps, depending on the spiciness of the sauce you want.

This was an extremely tasty spaghetti sauce and I will definitely keep this recipe. Instead of browning the sausage and ground beef separately, however, I cooked everything together before draining and adding to the slow cooker. Also, the sauce was a *little* bit watery. Perhaps this could be remedied by draining the stewed or diced tomatoes? A great recipe, however!

Tasty. I didn't use Italian sausage because its not our favorite but an easy "throw-together" meal for the weekday.

This is a really great recipe although I've decided I don't really like ground beef cooked in the slow cooker. Regardless, the flavor of this recipe is delicious and of course, it's much better the second day. I made it exactly as the recipe was written.

LOVED this! I've never been able to make a decent spaghetti sauce that wasn't poured from a jar, so to finally know the sweet, sweet taste of success gives me the warm fuzzies. Was scared at first, because I didn't read ahead enough to know that the sugar is added towards the END of the process, but everything turned out fine. It has a nice tang without crossing the line to spicy, and the meat turned out really tender and delicious. Can't wait to see how the leftover sauce that we froze holds up next week when we have pasta again.

This was very easy to make. My family wanted it served over nachos which tasted great. I did not have spiced tomatoes so used ordinary tomatoes and added the spice.

I left out the sausage due to personal preference. I added two additional tablespoons of sugar. I cooked on low for 8 hours as stated but the sauce burned onto the sides of my crockpot and left the sauce with a somewhat burnt taste. Even so, it was still quite flavorful and everyone else thought it was still better than store bought jarred sauce. Thank you for sharing your recipe!

Excellent!

Awesome and Easy!! Only used one onion. Used 1 large italian link type sausage. Followed all other directions. Quantity was only enough for two large/man size servings and two appetizer servings. Increase the sauce if cooking for two or more people who eat "solid"/large servings.

Making this sauce was a combined effort between my husband and myself. Using fresh ingredients was the best part of making it. My husband requested one carrot (diced) and one stalk of celery (diced) which just melted away into the sauce. He also added chopped fresh baby portobella mushrooms. Used fresh basil too. Cooked for at least 4 hours on low simmer. Wonderful sauce.

I followed this recipe as best I could except I doubled it and used sweet ground Italian sausage and cooked it on the stove all day, my crock pot died. I was hesitant to use the sugar because when I tasted it it seemed a little sweet but I tried it anyways and it turned out perfect my kids ate a ton and so did my hubby, he's even bringing a jar to his single friends house to brat. Ty Ashley!

What a great way to get the deep, rich flavor of all day sauce. For those of us who work and don't have all day to stand over the stove, this is a big win! Thanks, Ashley!

i will never buy jar sauce again. SO WONDERFUL!!!!! i didn't have majoram and it was still delicious! best sauce ever. my 2 toddlers can't get enough. they would've had 3rds if i let them....THANK YOU!

VERY GOOD AND EASY, COOKED ALL DAY AND WAS READY WHEN I GOT HOME. I FIXED EXACTLY LIKE THE DIRECTIONS SAID TO

Very yummy!

Outstanding and So Easy ! I made a few personal changes by doubling the Italian Sausage , slightly more onion, some diced bell peppers, and 2 small cans of mushroom bits and pieces. The sugar /sweetner amount is a personal preference and its easy to adjust. This was a delightful recipe that is a favorite of mine.

excellent! wouldn't change a thing

This was tastey! Kept pretty much the same except used real garlic and added mushrooms. I think this sauce also would be great for lasagna. Next time I will cut the cooking time in half. I have a strong crockpot and my meat wasnt as chunky.

This is great, I use spicy sausage

I looked at this recipe and saw over-reliance on spices, not preparation to allow a good base to integrate the spices. I started by making my own base, mixing 1/2 lb ground pork with 1lb ground beef and 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground fennel, and 1 tsp ground sage to create a full 1.5 lbs of pork/beef sausage. After this was finished, I drained it and added it to the slow cooker. I added 2 tsps olive oil and added 1/2 cup red red wine, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2 onions, 1 stalk of celery, and 1 carrot. When that had softened, I added that to slow cooker as well and sort of followed the original recipe, skipping the Italian seasoning, but keeping to the rest. It was very good after these different changes.

I have made this about 4 times now. This is my new favorite spaghetti sauce recipe and the only way I make it now. I usually add a little more italian sausage, but otherwise I stay pretty true to the recipe. It makes a good amount and I love that there's usually enough leftover to make lasagna roll ups or something similar later on in the week so I can eat more of this sauce. Thanks for a great recipe!

This was good; I used a bit more sausage than it called for, so it was a bit more sausagey than I'd like, but that was my own fault. I'm also not a fan of big stewed tomato chunks; next time I'll probably substitute extra diced tomatoes for the stewed. Overall, very flavorful, and I liked knowing what went into my sauce. Leftovers made great lasagna

I use a full pound of ground sausage and, depending on the audience, switch spicy sausage for the sweet sausage. Always a hit.

I really wanted to love this recipe. I followed the recipe to the letter, and was very displeased with the result. The consistency of the sauce was watery, the meat made the sauce ever so slightly greasy, and the tinny flavor of the canned tomatoes didn't cook out.

I've only EVER had spaghetti sauce from a bottle; this is my first attempt at a homemade spaghetti sauce, and I can tell you it is now my GO-TO recipe! I doubled it, thinking that is the only way to have enough sauce -- wow -- totally unnecessary! My 8qt pot barely could contain it all, and that's after adding 1 diced bell pepper and 8oz of sliced mushrooms. After we eat this tomorrow, I'm going to add the second container of mushrooms. Thank you for sharing! No need to add sugar, we liked it as is, and since it's sitting in the fridge overnight, I know the flavors will blend nicely, and not have that weird after taste I've become resigned to.

Will make again, easy and delicious

No doubt the BEST I have eaten. The crock pot is a plus. I doubled the receipt. It freezes very well.

This is the best meat spaghetti sauce I have ever had. My wife uses very little spaghetti sauce and she loved it and put plenty of sauce on her plate.

My 2 year old LOVED this. She asked me in the mornings if she could have some!! My hubby didn't like the chunks of tomatoes, although he liked the flavour, so I may have to fiddle with grinding/ cutting up the stewed tomatoes or just changing them to all diced tomatoes, etc. Also, I had to fish some of my tomatoes back out after putting them in when I realized that the cans were about double the size of the 14.5 oz cans you mention!! I assumed they were the right size without checking....good thing I caught that one!! The sauce did end up being a little watery, so I will drain the tomatoes next time to see if it makes a difference. Wonderful flavour!! Thanks :)

This recipe was ABSOLUTELY delicious!!! My husband and in-laws are Italian and claim to make the best spaghetti and I am going to challenge them in a spaghetti competition with this one. I might even substitute boneless pork ribs for the Italian sausage which is what my mother-in-law does. Thanks for sharing! Can't wait to make them eat their words :)

Granted for years I ate jarred, mostly vegetarian sauces because my husband is vegetarian. So when he went on a work trip and I made this, I felt like I was in a cartoon with the heavens beaming down and the Angels singing lol I used meat from my local butcher and tomato paste from a tube, not a can, and I always feel like high-quality ingredients make a difference. But in general this is just a great recipe that's easy to put together before work and to enjoy when you get home. (Jarring the leftovers makes it last a long time too.) thanks for posting!

Made this for the family yesterday and everyone LOVED it! The only change I made to the recipe was to use crushed tomatoes instead of the diced & stewed. No one in my family likes chunks of tomatoes (except me!) so I used the crushed. No other changes were made and it was phenomenal! I did use someone's suggestion to put paper towels over the crockpot and then the lid and this worked great. At the end of the cooking I did put in one more 6 oz. can of tomato paste to thicken the sauce. This recipe is very good and will be my new go to Spaghetti sauce!!

A good recipe, but as others have pointed out, time can be saved by browning both the beef and the sausage together. I also used a minced clove garlic in place of the 1 tsp garlic powder. I didn't understand why the Italian seasoning and marjoram would be added to the browning meat, so I added it instead to the sauce, where it would blend with the other herbs. I also added the sugar at the same time.

I found this recipe to be very enjoyable. Thank you for posting.