Healthy Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce
User Reviews
4.6
21 reviews
Excellent
-
Prep Time
10 mins
-
Cook Time
6 hrs
-
Total Time
6 hrs 10 mins
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Servings
9 Servings
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Calories
213 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian
Healthy Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce
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This slow cooker spaghetti sauce has zucchini and carrots hidden in it! Also chunks of sweet Italian sausage. It is so flavorful, you hardly need the pasta!
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage links
- 1 large onion or 2 medium, chopped*
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup white wine I used cooking wine**
- 2 medium carrot peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium zucchini roughly chopped
- 1 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 oz. can tomato paste
- 2 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- pepper to taste
- fresh basil to garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Remove the casings from the sausage and chop into bite-size pieces. Add to the pan and sear the sausage. Once it is brown (it doesn't need to be cooked through), lower the heat to medium.
- Use a wooden spoon to move the sausage over to one side of the pan. Add the onions, garlic, and ground beef to the other side of the pan. Break up the ground beef, avoiding the sausage (you want bigger pieces of sausage).
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, until the ground beef and sausage are no longer pink and the onions are soft.
- Add the wine to the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes or so until the wine has cooked down some.
- Scrape everything into a large crock pot.
- Meanwhile, use a food processor to chop the carrots. Get the pieces pretty small, but don't do it so much that it liquifies it.
- I left the carrots in the food processor while I pulsed the zucchini as well. See photos.
- Add the veggies to the crock pot, along with the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and the fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
- Add the Italian seasoning, the thyme, basil, oregano, brown sugar.
- Add the bay leaves, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Stir everything together, put on the lid, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil. Makes about 9 cups.
Notes
- * Normally I chop onions and garlic by hand, but since I will need it for the carrots and zucchini, I quartered the onions pulsed them in the food processor, along with the garlic, which I threw in whole. **You can use chicken broth or beef broth or water. Store leftovers in a tupperware that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Serving
1cup
Calories
213kcal
(11%)
Carbohydrates
6g
(2%)
Protein
9g
(18%)
Fat
16g
(25%)
Saturated Fat
5g
(25%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
2g
Monounsaturated Fat
8g
Trans Fat
1g
Cholesterol
37mg
(12%)
Potassium
284mg
(8%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Vitamin A
2338IU
(47%)
Vitamin C
7mg
(8%)
Calcium
37mg
(4%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 9Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 213 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1cup | |
| Calories | 213kcal | 11% |
| Carbohydrates | 6g | 2% |
| Protein | 9g | 18% |
| Fat | 16g | 25% |
| Saturated Fat | 5g | 25% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 8g | 40% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 37mg | 12% |
| Potassium | 284mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 2338IU | 47% |
| Vitamin C | 7mg | 8% |
| Calcium | 37mg | 4% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.6
21 reviews
Excellent
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