Classic Spaghetti
My family is hooked on this chunky, full of flavor healthy spaghetti sauce. Whether it’s for my small family of 3 or for large family gatherings of 40, this spaghetti sauce is loved by all and quickly devoured. Don’t be surprised if you’re tempted to eat like a soup instead of spaghetti sauce.
Since this sauce is overloaded with lots of fresh vegetables, it’s essential to take a couple extra seconds and wash them. No, I don’t mean rinse with water… I mean scrub those babies. My most beloved wash is Fit: Fruit and Vegetable Wash. Skeptical of veggie washes? Check out this post where you can see the difference before and after washing. You’ll never look back.
You’ll need at least a 6-quart slow cooker to comfortably fit all these delicious ingredients. Also, I enjoy substituting pasta with spaghetti squash. I know it sounds a little bizarre if you’ve never tried it. However, it’s adds a pop of flavor which compliments this pasta sauce and also a healthy, gluten-free option. You can either roast or steam the spaghetti squash in the oven. It takes about an hour to prepare and bake and you can time it perfectly to be done with your sauce.
If you’re preparing this for smaller numbers, don’t worry about having leftovers! It’s great for next day’s lunch or refrigerate and use for dinner next week or freeze it up to 3 months. You’ll be grateful there are seconds. Enjoy, my friends!
Classic Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 3 lbs lean ground beef or ground turkey browned and excess liquid drained
- 1 large sweet onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced
- 4 carrots peeled and diced
- 3 cans 15 oz organic tomato sauce
- 2 cans 6 oz organic tomato paste
- 1 can 14.5 oz organic stewed tomatoes, drained
- 1 can 14.5 oz organic diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 Tbs minced garlic
- 2 heaping Tbs dried or minced parsley
- 2 heaping Tbs oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 1 pound dry whole wheat spaghetti or 1 large spaghetti squash
Instructions
- Brown ground beef/ground turkey. Drain and discard any remaining fat.
- Add all ingredients, except spaghetti, into LARGE slow cooker. Cover; Cook on LOW 7 to 8 hours or on HIGH 5 to 6 hours, or until done (carrots will be soft).
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions and drain OR bake spaghetti squash as substitute for pasta. Serve sauce over cooked spaghetti.
That is one marvelous looking plate of spaghetti and makes me so hungry. I love all the (washed!) vegetables you use. I love using my crock pot in summer so this will be coming up in our home soon. Thanks for sharing a great recipe and your lovely photos.. –Rocquie
Thank you, Rocquie, for stopping by! I can’t wait to hear what you think after you try it.
Do you know how much 1 serving would be? I’m assuming 1C? It looks fab. Will make this tomorrow
While we’re at church, since it’s supposed to be 99 degrees here!
Great question, Farah. I would say a serving size is between 1 and 2 cups and should serve about 8 to 10 people. Let me know how it turns out!
I love a good pasta sauce that’s chock full of veggies. I’ll try this next time I get a hankering for meat sauce!
Thanks, Kaitlin! If you prefer vegetarian, just omit the ground beef or turkey. It’s just as amazing without the meat.
Just came back to tell you that your sauce was a success! I forgot to add 1 of the cans of tomato paste but it was still fabulous! Toward the end I chopped up 2 zucchini & added it to the pot. I served it over spaghetti squash. The recipe made so much that my family of 6 barely made a dent in the crock pot. Can’t wait for left overs!
Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Thank you, Farah, for the feedback! What a great idea to add zucchini. So happy to hear you enjoyed it!