When I am preparing dinner it always makes the time go by more smoothly knowing that I am making a meal that pleases everyone in the family. Because my family is made up of many people with various taste preferences, it is hard to put food on the table that makes everyone’s tummies happy. If I find such a recipe I am sure to print it out permanently on a card to ensure that it doesn’t get lost!
Spaghetti is one of those meals that all the people in my family eat up with no complaints. It is also something that is easy to prepare. Yummy and easy to make? Definitely a top menu choice in my book!
This sauce I finally came up with after tweaking various recipes I would find. I love how I can use the leftover sauce to freeze into individual baggies. This saves me time down the road and it is just too easy to pull some out of the freezer and make a quick dinner. I make this is my 6 quart slow cooker. This meal goes well with a tossed salad or steamed veggies and some homemade garlic bread or baked tortilla chips.
This recipe makes a lot of sauce. As in, fills up my 6 qt slow cooker. For smaller families, be sure and make half the recipe or make as is with plenty left over to freeze for future meals.
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 2 lbs bulk sausage
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 cans (29 oz each) diced tomatoes
- 6 cans (6 oz. each) tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 6 tsp. dried basil
- 4 tsp. dried oregano
- 8 bay leaves
- 2 tsp. dried sage
- 2-4 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground pepper
Instructions
- Brown together the hamburger, sausage, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a skillet. (Or, if you have already browned your meats, just saute vegetables and put thawed meats into crockpot.)
- Transfer browned meats and vegetables to a large pot.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
- Heat on low for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Serve over pasta of choice.
Quick Notes
You can also forget cooking this over the stove and do the following instead:
Transfer browned meats and vegetables to 6 quart slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.
Serve over pasta of choice.
Variations
To make this vegetarian, just leave out the meats and add various veggies to bulk up the sauce.