Description
Slow Cooker Baked Spaghetti is an easy dinner with tender pasta and rich meat sauce and plenty of melted cheese. It is one of the best ideas for a quick weeknight dinner because the slow cooker handles most of the work. This simple recipe is hearty enough for a party or potluck and practical for meal prep while a healthy side salad keeps the meal balanced. Serve it when you need cozy comfort food with minimal effort and dependable family friendly flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Lean ground beef
- 1 small onion diced Yellow onion
- 3 cloves minced Garlic
- 1 can measuring 28 ounces Crushed tomatoes
- 1 can measuring 15 ounces Tomato sauce
- 2 cups Beef broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 half teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Granulated sugar
- 12 ounces broken in half Spaghetti
- 2 cups Shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 half cup Grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the ground beef with the diced onion until the meat changes from pink to deep brown and the onion becomes soft and translucent. Fold in the minced garlic near the end so it becomes fragrant while the irregular beef crumbles remain visibly moist and uneven.
- Transfer the browned beef mixture into the slow cooker and pour in the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and beef broth. Stir in the seasoning until the sauce becomes evenly red with scattered beef crumbles and softened onion visible throughout.
- Scatter the broken spaghetti across the sauce in loose crossing layers rather than placing every strand in the same direction. Press most of the pasta beneath the liquid while leaving a few uneven ends visible so the dry strands begin absorbing the sauce.
- Cook until the spaghetti changes from rigid pale strands into flexible noodles that have absorbed the deep red sauce. Fold the noodles through the beef mixture so the strands shift into loose curls and the thickened sauce clings unevenly to every portion.
- Scatter the mozzarella and Parmesan over the softened spaghetti in an uneven layer with some sauce still visible around the edges. Continue cooking until the cheese changes into stretchy melted patches with creamy white areas and lightly golden Parmesan spots.
- Lift one generous portion onto a white plate so the tender noodles fold naturally and reveal beef sauce beneath the melted cheese. Finish with chopped parsley while keeping the cheese stretches and sauce streaks irregular for a warm homemade appearance.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Use lean ground beef so the sauce stays rich without becoming greasy while the pasta cooks slowly in the tomato mixture.
- Keep most spaghetti strands beneath the sauce because exposed dry ends may remain firm and cook less evenly than submerged pasta.
- Fold the pasta gently during cooking so stuck strands separate without breaking into very short pieces or turning overly soft.
- Add the cheese near the end so it melts into creamy patches instead of disappearing completely into the hot tomato sauce.
Storage: Allow the Slow Cooker Baked Spaghetti to cool before transferring portions into airtight containers. Refrigerate the portions for up to four days. Reheat individual servings with a small spoonful of water or tomato sauce. Cover the portion loosely so steam restores moisture to the pasta. Freeze cooled spaghetti in tightly sealed freezer containers for up to two months. Thaw each portion overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Avoid leaving the cooked spaghetti at room temperature for more than two hours. Discard any portion that develops an unusual odor or appearance.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian American