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Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce

a ladle of Sunday sauce being lifted out of the slow cooker.
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If you love a  meat sauce, you will love this slow cooker Sunday sauce. It combines beef and Italian sausage, simmered for hours in the slow cooker with tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, garlic, and seasonings. There is some prep work that needs to happen in the morning (about 30 to 40 minutes), so plan ahead. The meat is browned first on the stove, and then the veggies are sauteed in that same pan so they soak up the flavor. Once that’s done, it all goes in the slow cooker, and it’s hands off until it’s time to dig in.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground beef (85% lean)
  • 1 pound Italian sausage links (see note)
  • 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (see note)
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 (28-ounce) can tomato puree
  • 1 (29-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

Instructions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the ground beef and break it up as it cooks. Cook it for five or so minutes, just until it’s browned. Transfer the cooked beef to the slow cooker.
  2. In the same pan, brown the sausages over medium heat for about five minutes, turning them halfway through the cooking time (they won’t be completely cooked through – they will finish cooking in the slow cooker). Take them out of the pan and slice them into ½” pieces. Place them in the slow cooker with the ground beef.
  3. Now add the sliced mushrooms to the same pan and brown them for about five minutes. If there are any large slices, you can break them apart into smaller pieces as they cook. That way, you won’t have any large pieces in the sauce.
  4. Add the garlic, onions, and peppers to the pan and stir to combine. Cook the veggies for a couple of minutes until they start to soften. 
  5. Add all the dried herbs, salt, and pepper to the cooked vegetables and stir. Transfer all of the veggies to the slow cooker.
  6. Add the tomato paste, tomato puree, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce to the slow cooker. Stir to combine all of the ingredients.
  7. Cover and cook the sauce on low for six to eight hours. Give it a good stir before serving it with your favorite pasta.

Notes

Prep time: For this recipe, the prep time includes preparing the ingredients (chopping, mincing, etc) plus the cooking time before everything goes into the slow cooker.

Italian sausage: You can use the same kind of sausage or mix it up. Try combining sweet Italian sausage with hot or mild Italian sausage. You can also use ground Italian sausage instead of links. Just make sure you use a total of one pound. 

Mushrooms: You can use any mushrooms – I like cremini or other white mushrooms. Or use portobello mushrooms.

Herbs: If you don’t have the individual herbs on hand but have some Italian seasoning, you can use three tablespoons of that instead.

Pasta: This is a thick and hearty sauce that pairs well with several pasta shapes. I like spaghetti or bucatini, but penne, rotini, rigatoni, or cavatappi would work great, too. Keep the sauce warm in the slow cooker while you boil the pasta. 

Storage tips: This sauce stores well in the refrigerator (3 to 4 days) or in the freezer (one to two months). I like to portion it out into containers that hold two to four servings so it’s easy to reheat.

Please see the post for more tips and variations!

Nutrition

Find it online: https://www.girlgonegourmet.com/slow-cooker-sunday-sauce/