Momma's Famous Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce: Easy Crowd Pleasing Pasta Sauce

If you’re looking to make your own tomato sauce and are tired of buying store-bought jars, I’ve got the perfect recipe for you! This recipe is easy, fast, and your family or guests will be talking about it for days to come! It’s always requested around this house and it’s always a favorite. The best part is that you can adjust the ingredients to your liking. It goes right in the slow cooker so there is no slaving over the stove. If you double the recipe you will have leftovers to freeze.

For a printable version of this recipe, scroll down!

If you’re looking for an easy homemade sauce instead of store-bought, then this just might be the recipe for you. I'm hoping that once you make it, you'll never go back to the supermarket shelves!

One of the best things about this recipe is that you can adjust it to your liking. If you want it spicy, add more red pepper flakes. If you prefer it less sweet, add less sugar. If you don’t like too much salt, don’t add salt! It’s always a crowdpleaser and I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t like my sauce. And you will be proud to have made something from scratch as opposed to buying a jar from the supermarket.

Ingredients:

2 lbs sweet italian sausage (or ground beef)
1/4 cup chopped onions (frozen or fresh)
1 tsp minced garlic
14 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained (or diced, but I prefer the petite diced)
(2) 8 oz cans tomato sauce
6 oz can tomato paste
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt (optional - I usually eliminate this)
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional, but delicious!)

Instructions:

1. Saute sausage, onions and minced garlic in skillet over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink. Drain and transfer to slow cooker.

2. Stir in all remaining ingredients.

3. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours or high 4-6 hours.

*note: salt can be omitted. I usually leave it out since sausage is salty enough, but it’s all about personal preference!
*note: crushed red pepper really makes this sauce special. If you do not like spiciness, you can omit this completely or even just add a dash instead of the ¼ tsp, but I assure you that the red pepper flakes give it a delicious kick!
*note: this sauce CAN be made meatless but it is much tastier with some kind of meat base. It's also a little watery without the meat.

This sauce reheats and freezes well. The entire recipe can be doubled but I would recommend using about 3 lbs of sausage instead of 4 (unless you like a really chunky sauce, but that’s up to you).

For a printable version of this recipe, click here!