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Can you put raw pasta in a slow cooker?
You sure can.
This recipe for crockpot spaghetti is probably my husband’s favorite dinner, and it’s super-easy.
What makes this recipe unique and pretty cool is that you put the uncooked noodles straight into the crockpot.
I know, I know, it’s not like boiling noodles is this arduous and complicated task.
But then again, it kinda is.
It means another pot to wash, and having the wash the colander, and babysitting it to make sure the water doesn’t boil over, and then cleaning it up when it inevitably does anyway (at least for me).
Let’s face it: I’m just lazy when it comes to the kitchen.
And speaking of lazy …
Doncha hate having to soak and scrub and scrape your crockpot when you’re finished using it? Especially when you make something like spaghetti sauce that really gets caked on.
Enter the Reynolds slow-cooker liners to the rescue!
These liners are durable, BPA-free … and they get the job done! Now instead of scrubbing and soaking, just gather up the bag and throw it in the trash.
Ta-da! Clean-up finished.
Amazon’s Choice
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Makes clean-up a breeze!
✅ Click here to read a review and see photos of these slow-cooker liners in action.
Interestingly, I got this recipe (mine is a very slightly modified version) from Fix It and Forget It, a cookbook that I no longer even own because, frankly, I didn’t like it all that much other than this one recipe.
What didn’t I like?
Well for one thing, it has zero photos.
And for another — although this may sound like a weird complaint — there were too many of the same type of recipe.
I don’t want a book to throw 15 different chili recipes at me; I want them to pick the best two or three. Especially when there are no photos of any of them!
Still, a lot of people loved that cookbook. You can read all the 5-star reviews for it here.
So different strokes for different folks, right? I will say that this is a great cookbook to give as a gift to someone who is completely new to using a crock pot (which is exactly why I had it).
Fix-It and Forget-It Revised and Updated: 700 Great Slow Cooker Recipes
Fix-It and Forget-It Slow Cooker Diabetic Cookbook
Fix-It and Forget-It 5-Ingredient Favorites: Comforting Slow-Cooker Recipes
Fix-It and Forget-It Cooking Light: 600 Healthy, Low-Fat Recipes
Anyway, on to the spaghetti!
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The Best Wines to Serve with Spaghetti
Crockpot Spaghetti Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef (I have also used ground sausage, but we prefer beef)
- 1 small onion
- 3 cups tomato juice
- 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- Various spices (I like garlic powder, oregano, and Italian seasoning)
- 8 oz uncooked spaghetti (I usually add a little more … I just eyeball it
Recipe Instructions
- Chop the onion
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet with the chopped onion
- Put beef/onion mixture, tomato sauce, tomato juice, and seasonings into a sprayed or lined crockpot
- Cook on High for three hours, OR Low for six or seven hours
- Break up uncooked spaghetti into 3-4 pieces each and add it to the pot.
- Cook on High for 30 minutes, stirring about every 8-10 minutes
We used to always eat this with bread — either garlic bread from the frozen section of the supermarket, or homemade bread from the bread machine.
These days, we rarely eat bread. A side salad is plenty to make this meal complete.
How do you keep noodles from getting mushy in a Crock Pot?
Notice that once you add the spaghetti, you need to turn your Crock Pot to the High setting. A higher temperature keeps the noodles from getting too mushy.
Can I Keep Spaghetti Warm in a Crockpot?
Yes.
You can keep freshly-cooked spaghetti warm using a crockpot.
But re-heating pasta from, say, the day before, in a crockpot is not a good idea.
All you have to do is the drain the cooked spaghetti, pour it into a greased (or lined) crockpot, stir in the sauce of your choice, and then set to the Warm or Low setting.
If for whatever reason you don’t want sauce on it at this point, you can just add a little olive oil to keep it from sticking.
It’s a good idea to check on it every 30-60 minutes and add a little more sauce, or at least some water, so the noodles don’t dry out.
Bringing Your Crockpot Spaghetti to a Party?
Of course, one of the great things about a crockpot is that you can bring it to a potluck or party and have it stay warm or finish cooking at the event.
However, transporting a pot of cooked food can be a challenge.
Do you hold it on your lap while someone else drives, and if so, is is going to spill on you? Burn your legs? Do you have to find a box to put it in?
Fortunately, there are insulated travel cases made just for slow cookers:
Amazon’s Choice
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Has slots on the sides so you can hol
The Hamilton Beach Crock Caddy above is insulated, flexible, and made to hold various size slow cookers from 4 to 8 quarts. (It has a mesh net so that smaller slow cookers will stay put, instead of rattling around all over the place.)
And with handle openings on both sides and sturdy straps, you can choose how to carry it.
Reviews loved how:
- Their crockpots fit inside “like a glove” with room to spare
- The front velcro opening made it easy to just slide the crockpot inside
Amazon reviewer Aries Dragon calls this bag a “MUST have”:
This is an amazing product! … It fits all my slow cookers including my largest 8qt. Kept it hot so reheating was really quick.
Surprisingly nothing spilled out inside like I expected ( part of the reason I bought was expecting it to spill bc of overflow, but rather it spill in this then all over my car). I have a bad habit of overfilling my cookers… this is very well built and can’t wait to use it again!
Click here to see photos of this bag’s side slots, so you can carry it by the crockpot handles.
Slow Cooker Spaghetti with Ground Beef
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
An easy way to make spaghetti in the crockpot without having to boil the noodles separately. The noodles cook right in the tomato sauce, absorbing the flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion
- 3 cups tomato juice
- 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- Garlic powder, oregano, and Italian seasoning and salt, to taste
- 8-12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
Instructions
- Chop the onion
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet with the chopped onion
- Put beef/onion mixture, tomato sauce, tomato juice, and seasonings into a sprayed or lined crockpot
- Cook on High for three hours,ORLow for six or seven hours
- Break up uncooked spaghetti into 3-4 pieces each and add it to the pot.
- Cook on High for 30 minutes, stirring about every 8-10 minutes
Notes
You can also make this in many instant pots, using the "slow cooker" setting. This makes it even easier, because you can also sauteé the meat onions in the pot!
However, if you do use the instant pot, you'll want to modify the recipe slightly for best results: I would reduce the tomato jiuce by about half a cup and increase the cooking time by 45 minutes.
Recommended Products
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More Dinner Recipes Your Family Will Love
Want more amazing dinner ideas? Check these out:
- 43 Delicious Side Dishes to Serve with Spaghetti — How do keep a favorite meal like spaghetti from getting boring? Simple — just jazz up the sides. Here you’ll find recipes for stuffed garlic bread, cherry tomato Caprese salad, green beans almondine, and lots more.
- 15 Ways to Use Leftover Spaghetti — Did you make a ton of spaghetti and end up with lots of leftovers? (That’s a decision that I would highly support.) Discover how to quickly whip up fried spaghetti with eggs, chicken spaghetti casserole, or a cold spaghetti and shrimp salad.
- 71 Main Dishes to Serve with Mashed Potatoes — Does your family love mashed potatoes, but you’re getting tired of serving the same two meals with them? You’ll find tons of new family favorites here! Choose from bacon wrapped pork tenderloin stuffed with cream cheese, London broil in the crockpot, braised lamb shanks, and a lentil loaf with a maple balsamic glaze.
- — Sometimes you just just want quick, easy comfort food, and popping open a can of something creamy and mixing some noodles is a great way to get it. Here you’ll find recipes for tuna casserole, chicken tetrazzini, and beef stroganoff in the slow cooker.
