Crock Pot Spaghetti is an easy slow cooker meal, with pasta, meaty marinara sauce, and smothered in cheese.
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Crockpot Spaghetti is a hearty, meaty, cheesy meal, easily made in the slow cooker. Just set it and forget it and sit down to dinner when it’s done!
Crock Pot Spaghetti Casserole Recipe
Our Crock Pot Spaghetti recipe takes only 10 minutes to prepare, simply made with seasoned ground beef, spaghetti, marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and 2 kinds of cheese.
Making slow cooker spaghetti is so much easier than baking a spaghetti casserole in the oven or worrying about simmering and constant stirring on the stove; once you’ve browned the beef, just add it to the crockpot bowl with the noodles, sauce, tomatoes, and broth, and let the kitchen appliance do the rest of the work.
Slow cooker pasta recipes (like my crockpot lasagna and copycat Olive Garden crock pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta recipes) make the most delicious, hassle-free meals using the set-it-and-forget-it method that makes enough to feed an entire family.
Why We Love Crockpot Pasta Recipes
- Quick and easy to prepare in the crock pot.
- Uses a handful of simple and flavorful ingredients.
- There’s no need to pre-cook the pasta because the noodles soften in the slow cooker and become tender with a perfect texture.
- Slow cooker recipes make delicious homemade meals to feed your family, even when you’re too busy to bake.
- Perfect any day dinner that tastes like you spent all day making it, without any of the work.
Crock Pot Spaghetti Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Lean ground beef
- Yellow onion
- Minced garlic
- Italian seasoning blend
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Spaghetti noodles
- Tomato & basil marinara sauce: I used jars of Classico brand sauce, but feel free to use your favorite spaghetti sauce instead.
- Crushed tomatoes
- Chicken broth: Feel free to use low-sodium chicken broth.
- Parmesan cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley (optional garnish)
Substitutions and Additions
- Up The Tomato Texture: You can substitute the crushed tomatoes for a can of petite diced tomatoes with the juice if you like your sauce to have a little more of a chunky tomato texture.
- Make With Another Meat: You can substitute ground mild Italian sausage for lean ground beef or a combination of ½ pound of each. You can even substitute lean ground turkey, ground chicken, or plant-based meat for a healthier option.
- Choose Your Cheese: A shredded Italian cheese blend, grated pecorino-romano, or any hard Italian cheese can be used as a substitute for the grated parmesan cheese. Any combination of these will taste delicious as well.
- Pick Your Pasta: You can use standard spaghetti, thin spaghetti, angel hair pasta, or even short pasta if you prefer. Cooking times may vary depending on the size and shape of the pasta you pick.
Recommended Tools
- Skillet
- Crockpot
How to Make CrockPot Spaghetti
- Brown The Beef: Cook and brown the beef in olive oil the onions, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper until no pink remains.
Pro Tip: If you have a lot of excess fat from the ground beef mixture, be sure to drain it off before adding it to the crock pot. - Cook In The Crockpot: Add the cooked ground beef, spaghetti noodles, sauce, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth to the bowl of the crock pot. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or just until the noodles are tender.
Pro Tip: Be careful not to overcook your noodles, or they will become mushy. - Top With Cheese: Add the remaining chicken broth, stir everything together, and top with parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Replace the lid and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve: Sprinkle the parsley over the melted cheese. Serve hot and enjoy!
Making Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce
If you want to make your sauce from scratch, you can certainly do that right in the crockpot, but you will need to cook your slow cooker spaghetti sauce for 1-2 hours on high to develop the flavors of the sauce prior to adding your noodles and chicken broth.
Make sure your recipe yields 7½-8 cups if you are making your sauce from scratch. Note that if you do use your crock pot to make a from-scratch sauce first, then your cooking time for the noodles will not take as long because your crock pot will already be hot from making the sauce.
Making Instant Pot Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
For a true one-pot recipe, you must try my instant pot spaghetti with meat sauce! Simply add the ingredients to the pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes, then when done, do a natural release for 5 more minutes.
Tips For Making The Best CrockPot Spaghetti
- This crock pot spaghetti should be served immediately. The longer the spaghetti noodles cook, the softer they will get as they will continue to absorb the liquid from the sauce.
- You can substitute water for the chicken broth in this recipe. I really like the depth of flavor the broth adds. You can use a low-sodium broth as well.
- If you like a little heat in your spaghetti, then you can add a pinch (about ¼ teaspoon) of red pepper flakes to your sauce.
- I like to buy the “pot-sized” spaghetti noodles (Mueller’s brand) for this recipe for ease of use. You do not need to break your noodles in half as they are already a shorter length straight from the box. This is not necessary, but I tend to find that my noodles never break very evenly for me, and I always get little pieces that fall.
How to Store Crock Pot Spaghetti
- To Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing the spaghetti as the noodles absorb the sauce too much, and the thawed spaghetti will not be the same as when it is fresh.
- To Reheat: You can reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1-1½ minutes or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
More Easy Crockpot Recipes
Other Easy Pasta Recipes
- Tomato Basil Pasta
- Taco Pasta
- Everything Bagel Pasta
- Taco Spaghetti
- Baked Spaghetti
- Crockpot Taco Spaghetti
- Rotel Chicken Spaghetti
Crock Pot Spaghetti
Serves — 8
Crock Pot Spaghetti is an easy slow cooker meal, with pasta, meaty marinara sauce, and smothered in cheese.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound standard spaghetti noodles broken in half to fit the crock pot
- 48 ounces (2 24-ounce) jars of tomato & basil marinara sauce (Classico brand)
- 15 ounces can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth divided in half
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, lean ground beef, diced yellow onions, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Cook, and brown the beef for 5-6 minutes or until no pink remains. If you have a lot of excess fat from the ground beef mixture, be sure to drain it off before adding it to the crock pot.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 pound lean ground beef, ½ cup diced yellow onion, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning blend, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add the cooked ground beef, spaghetti noodles, tomato & basil marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, and 1 cup of chicken broth to the bowl of the crock pot.1 pound standard spaghetti noodles, 48 ounces (2 24-ounce) jars of tomato & basil marinara sauce, 15 ounces can of crushed tomatoes, 2 cups chicken broth
- Place the lid onto the crock pot and cook the spaghetti on HIGH for 2 hours or just until the noodles are tender. Be careful not to overcook your noodles, or they will become mushy.
- Remove the lid to the crock pot, add the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth, and give the sauce and noodles a good stir with a pasta spoon or tongs to combine all the ingredients.2 cups chicken broth
- Top the spaghetti with the grated parmesan cheese and the shredded mozzarella cheese. Replace the lid and cook for another 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted.½ cup grated parmesan cheese, 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Remove the lid and sprinkle the chopped fresh parsley over the melted cheese.1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Jenn’s Notes
Cook time: 2½ hours HIGH (3½-4 hours LOW)
Yields: 8 servings (approximately 1 cup per serving)
Storage:
- To Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: I do not recommend freezing the spaghetti as the noodles absorb the sauce too much, and the thawed spaghetti will not be the same as when it is fresh.
- To Reheat: You can reheat individual portions in the microwave for 1-1½ minutes or according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- This crock pot spaghetti should be served immediately. The longer the spaghetti noodles cook, the softer they will get as they will continue to absorb the liquid from the sauce.
- You can substitute water for the chicken broth in this recipe. I really like the depth of flavor the broth adds. You can use a low-sodium broth as well.
- If you like a little heat in your spaghetti, then you can add a pinch (about ¼ teaspoon) of red pepper flakes to your sauce.
- I like to buy the “pot-sized” spaghetti noodles (Mueller’s brand) for this recipe for ease of use. You do not need to break your noodles in half as they are already a shorter length straight from the box. This is not necessary, but I tend to find that my noodles never break very evenly for me, and I always get little pieces that fall.
Nutrition Info
Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 1523mg | Potassium: 1050mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1099IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 236mg | Iron: 5mg
Loved it. Thank You for making it simpler. Yummy 😋😋🥳😋😋