Crockpot Spaghetti
This full of Italian flavors family favorite Crockpot Spaghetti Casserole Casserole is easy to cook using pantry staples, requires minimal prep and is freezer friendly.
You’ll also love Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs, Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas Casserole and Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Pasta.
Crockpot Spaghetti Casserole is even easier to make than the traditional method. And fewer dishes to wash. Simply brown the beef, drain and throw all of the ingredients into your slow cooker. Yeap, less than 10 minutes of effort.
This is one of those delicious meals that is packed full of delicious Italian flavours with seasoning and basil and a hint of sweetness with maple syrup to complement the pasta sauce.
The pasta just soaks up all the flavors whilst it’s cooking. Which makes it so, so, so good. Am I right?
Like my easy 5 ingredient Tortellini Casserole and this easy Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce, this Slow Cooker Spaghetti is the perfect make-ahead no stress meal the whole family will love.
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You know when everyone needs to bring a dish to the potluck and you really want to make something that everyone will enjoy so you can go home with an empty dish? This is such a great recipe for that meal.
Why Make This Recipe
- Great make ahead dish. On busy days, throw ingredients into your slow cooker so you can focus on other things.
- Pantry Meal – make this slow cooker pasta with a handful of common pantry staples and minimal hands on time.
- Feeds a Crowd – just the thing for easy weeknight suppers, potlucks, game day gatherings, parties, and family feasts. Just like this easy Taco Casserole.
Ingredient Notes
- olive oil – just use your favorite olive oil or
- ground beef – use
- bacon – adds so much flavor. I like smoked bacon.
- pasta sauce – this can be a simple crushed tomato sauce, jarred spaghetti sauce or homemade sauce that you like.
- balsamic vinegar – my secret ingredient to add depth of flavor.
- Sweetener – using a little maple syrup cuts through any sharpness from your tomato sauce.
- Herbs – You need some Italian Seasoning and fresh basil leaves. You can easily make your own homemade Italian Seasoning.
- Noodles – this recipe uses uncooked spaghetti noodles that have been cut into thirds as this will fit more easily into the slow cooker.
- Cheese – this recipe calls for shredded mozzarella cheese. I love adding a little bit of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese too for extra flavor
Ready to make Crockpot Spaghetti Casserole? Head into your pantry and grab your ingredients and I’ll show you how….
Handy Tip: Use Good Kitchen Tools!
For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
How to Make Crockpot Spaghetti Casserole
Get the complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Heat oil in a large skillet and add beef and bacon and cook until beef is browned. Drain any extra liquid from the meat and add it to the lightly oiled Crockpot insert.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients up to the spaghetti into your Crockpot and gently stir.
- Top with the mozzarella, cover crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hrs. (Check after 4 hrs and if needs extra time and replace lid and cook for a little longer if needed.)
- Serve with garnishes of your choice.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure the pasta is completely mixed into and covered by the sauce before cooking.
- Want to make homemade spaghetti sauce? If you don’t want to use jarred marinara sauce you can check out my easy Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce recipe to make at home instead.
- Break the dry spaghetti into thirds. This will help the pasta fit in your crockpot.
- When storing leftovers, put in single-serving containers to make reheating easier.
- Slow Cooker temperatures may vary depending on your make and model. So keep an eye on this the first time you make it so you know how long it takes to cook in your slow cooker.
- Here are a few of my favorite tools to make this dish. How many do you have already.
Delicious Variations
There are so many ways for you change this up. Here are a few ways below.
- Vary the meat – feel free to use ground chicken, ground turkey or Italian sausage meat instead. The slow cooker spaghetti will be equally as flavourful with these.
- Vary the herbs. Feel free to use other seasoning like Tuscan seasoning or Greek seasoning instead.
- Add heat. Chipotle, red pepper flakes and jalapenos work if you like some heat.
- Add other flavors – you can add a couple of tablespoons of beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic etc.
- Add toppings at the end – serve with shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, cream cheese, diced tomato, lime, fresh-made pico de gallo, Mexican rice, quinoa, black beans, or corn, fresh parsley.
Store
- Store – Make ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat – Add to a microwave safe bowl, add a tablespoon or 2 of liquid like water to it and reheat gently at about half power, until warmed through.
- Freeze – I do not recommend freezing this dish.
FAQs
Nope you don’t need to boil spaghetti ahead of time. Just throw your ingredients and browned ground beef into the crockpot and let it work its magic.
The spaghetti will suck up all that delicious tomato sauce, herbs and beef flavour leaving you with the best plate of spaghetti you’ve ever had.
Yeap, you should. Browning your meats prior to putting in the crockpot will build the flavour of your meats.
And this is the secret of crockpot users. Some meats you can dump in, but it helps to brown ground beef before adding it to your slow cooker.
Your pasta shouldn’t turn out mushy, but it will most likely seem a little more tender than traditional pasta cooked on the stove.
You should check the texture of your pasta as it cooks to ensure you end up with pasta of your liking.
More Crockpot Recipes
Need some more easy Crockpot Recipe ideas? Then look no further than these other recipes you and yours would enjoy.
- Crockpot Chicken Fajitas.
- Crockpot Tuscan Chicken Pasta.
- Crockpot Breakfast Casserole.
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken.
- Korean Slow Cooker Short Ribs.
- Crockpot Grape Jelly Meatballs.
- Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
- Crockpot Short Ribs.
- Crockpot Tomato Soup.
- Crockpot Bread Pudding.
Serving Suggestions
This baked spaghetti is perfect as is, but you can definitely serve it with a few extras to upgrade your meal.
- Delicious Air Fryer Frozen Garlic Bread.
- It goes great with this Chopped Rainbow Veggie Salad.
Recommended Tools
- An awesome slow cooker.
- A good grater for grating your cheese.
- The best ever sea salt flakes.
- Measuring cups and spoons.
- A mixing spatula.
- For the best tools to help make your recipe even easier and more successful, check out my collection of the Best Kitchen Tools on Amazon.
Thank you for reading my Crockpot Pasta recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice, and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes, and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.
Originally published Sept 2018. Post has been updated.
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Crockpot Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef
- 6 slices of lean bacon cut up
- 2 X 28 oz (1.5l) pasta sauce 1.5l pasta sauce
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1.5 -2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 10 basil leaves roughly torn
- 8 oz (225g) spaghetti cut into thirds
- 1 cup (125g) shredded mozzarella
Instructions
- Heat oil in a frying pan / skillet and add beef and bacon and cook until beef is browned. Drain any extra liquid from the meat and add it to the lightly oiled Crockpot insert.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients up to the spaghetti into your Crockpot and mix.
- Top with the mozzarella and cover and cook on low for 4-5 hrs. (Check after 4 hrs and if needs extra time then cook for a little longer.)
Recommended Products
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Want to make homemade spaghetti sauce? Check out my crockpot spaghetti sauce recipe.
- Break the dry spaghetti into thirds. This will help the pasta fit in your crockpot.
- Slow Cooker temperatures may vary depending on your make and model.
Recipe Variations
- Use ground chicken instead of ground beef. The slow cooker spaghetti will be equally as flavourful with ground chicken.
- Vary the herbs. Feel free to use other seasoning like Tuscan seasoning or Greek seasoning instead.
- Add heat. Chipotle, red chili flakes and jalapenos work if you like some heat.
- Add toppings at the end – serve with shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, diced tomato, lime, fresh-made pico de gallo, Mexican rice, quinoa, black beans, or corn.
I Made the Spaghetti in the Pressure cooker and ti turned out Delicious…..I wish I could get the Binder…. No Job No Money…..
Haven’t made a good casserole in so long. No way this is made in the crockpot! This looks SO good!
Our family loves spaghetti but I can’t wait to try this in the crock pot!!
Easy dinner for the win! This one is a keeper!
Oh my goodness this is spaghetti heaven!! Can’t wait to try out the recipe 🙂
I’ve never made a spaghetti casserole in a crock pot before, but this recipe is a is so easy and the dish turned out amazingly delicious.
I’ve never cooked spaghetti in my crockpot before! Looks delicious. Definitely good for post-work dinners.
My kids are very picky eaters,however they do love spaghetti and this sounds like something they would enjoy. I always like to find different meals for them to experiment with their pallets give them something they have never had before.
When do you add the spaghetti please?
What a terrific recipe for busy school nights. My whole family would love this spaghetti!
Perfect recipe for the busy school year. Who doesn’t love breaking out the crockpot in the fall?
I’m always on the lookout for new slow cooker recipes, and I’m obsessed with pasta. This sounds like something I need to add to the rotation ASAP. Looks delicious!
You are right. Spaghetti is such a marvelous dinner. Not only does it taste fantastic, it can be super easy, simple, and versatile. I love your take on it in this recipe.