Looking for an easy and delicious dinner recipe that the whole family will love? This crock pot spaghetti recipe is not only kid-friendly, but it’s also a time-saving solution for busy parents who want to serve a hearty and nutritious meal without spending hours in the kitchen!
When I was growing up you knew exactly what it meant when Mom said “we’re having spaghetti for dinner” or as I pronounced it “Pa-sketti”. It wasn’t anything fancy, but that didn’t matter to us! It was a classic rich red sauce coating every bite of a spaghetti noodle. My mom would take a simple jarred sauce and jazz it up with a myriad of ingredients like cooked ground turkey or beef and some extra garlic. It was simple, but it was perfect.
With winter upon us, I’m moving back to using my slow cooker more and more. Slow cookers save you time, energy and are just overall super convenient. Everything cooks on its own while you go about your busy day. Crock Pot Spaghetti is the total jam if you’re crunched for time and wanting an easy dish that you can put together in minutes!
Ingredients for Crock Pot Spaghetti
- ground beef, turkey, or chicken
- onion
- olive oil
- garlic powder
- kosher salt
- jarred pasta sauce
- water
- spaghetti noodles
- grated parmesan cheese
How to Make Spaghetti in the Slow Cooker
- Brown the meat: In a skillet over medium heat, cook the oil, meat, onion, garlic powder and salt for about 5-7 minutes, until cooked through. Drain excess fat.
- Add Ingredients to Slow Cooker: Pour one jar of pasta sauce and a cup of water in the bottom of the slow cooker. Break the spaghetti noodles in half and place them on top of the sauce. Add the cooked meat to the crock pot, sprinkle with the cheese, and cover with the second jar of pasta sauce.
- Cook: Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or low for 6 hours. Remove the lid, stir to combine and mix everything together.
Keep in mind that each slow cooker operates at various temperatures and cooking times. To avoid overcooked spaghetti, test it regularly to ensure it’s cooked to your liking. Overcooked pasta can become sticky and mushy, which nobody likes!
FAQs
- What is the texture of this spaghetti like? Keep in mind that crock pot spaghetti produces a bit softer noodle texture than traditional spaghetti that is boiled to al dente. But it shouldn’t be mushy! Be careful to not overcook the noodles.
- Can I used jarred pasta sauce for this recipe? Absolutely! The recipe calls for jarred sauce in fact, but feel free to make your own! I’ve used my Roast Vegetable Pasta Sauce for this recipe before and it was fantastic and got in some extra veggies too!
- Can this recipe be made vegetarian? Sure! Just leave out the meat and you’ll be just fine.
More Crock Pot Pasta Recipes
- Crock Pot Vegetable Ziti
- Slow Cooker 12 Layer Lasagna
- Crock Pot Meaty Pasta Sauce
- Crock Pot Veggie Lasagna
If you liked this recipe let me know in the comments and tag me on social media if you make it!
Crock Pot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef, turkey, or chicken
- 1/2 onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 26 ounce jarred pasta sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 pound spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the oil, meat, onion, garlic powder and salt for about 5-7 minutes, until cooked through. Drain excess fat.
- Pour one jar of pasta sauce and 1 cup of water in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Break the spaghetti noodles in half and place them on top of the sauce.
- Add the cooked meat on top of the noodles, sprinkle with the cheese, and cover with the second jar of pasta sauce.
- Cover the crock pot and cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or low for 6 hours. (See notes)
- Remove the lid, stir to combine and mix everything together.
Video
Notes
- Keep in mind that each slow cooker operates at various temperatures and cooking times. To avoid overcooked spaghetti, test it regularly to ensure it’s cooked to your liking. Overcooked pasta can become sticky and mushy, which nobody likes!
Awe man I just came
Home to this and all the noodles are stuck together like they formed one big noodle. What did I do wrong? On high 2.5 hours. 1 cup water. Boo
Made this on a whim for a weeknight dinner. Sadly, no one in our family cared for it.
The texture of the spaghetti ends up more like Spaghetti O’s. It was edible, but only the children were ok with the texture.
I looooooobe this! I cooked it for 5.5 hour and it was perfect. I followed the recipe and had no issues’ definitely a perfect go to meal that I can freeze and have for lunch during the month! N
I’m doing mine with the hidden veggies pasta, and I’m cooking it for 2 hours. I think that is all I need. One hour cooked the noodles and melted the cheese. I’m just heating it all up now.
I want to try this spaghetti .but my family love pepperoni on top can I still do that . I make a spaghetti bake that bakes in the oven with pepperoni all over it .so was just checking to see if the pepperoni would be ok on top of the sauce in the crockpot
I want to try this spaghetti .but my family love pepperoni on top can I still do that . I make a spaghetti bake that bakes in the oven with pepperoni all over it .so was just checking to see if the pepperoni would be ok on top of the sauce in the crockpot
Wow – Let the woman Blog! No Haters! go to foodnetwork or epicurious or just SCROLL DOWN TO THE RECIPE!
I like the stories, they make me think of when my kids were younger <3
Can this be made without Parmesan? Or can I substitute it with cheddar or Mexican blend? Thanks.
Flavor was good but six hours on low is too long. Came out very dry with little sauce left. Will make again but with added extra sauce and cook time cut in half.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this tonight and was very skeptical. I added a few ingredients to make it the way I like it and instead of just letting the spaghetti sit there and clump together. I actually stirred it in the beginning stage. It was delicious. I removed it from the base and it stopped cooking. It wasn’t mushy at all. Thank you for this recipe!!
Score!