Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce #CleanPlate

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Hi Everyone!

Happy Monday to you!!  Today I have a recipe that I have been wanting to make for a while, but I just never got around to it, until now!  Let me tell you, I have no clue why I waited so long!  This is by far one of the best meat sauces I have ever made. It’s incredible!!
Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce
Just look at that beautiful red color! Look at that juicy meat and oh baby, only if you could smell it. When I came home from work, I ran in the door and the smell pulled me right into the kitchen. Before I could even take make jacket off, I had to try it. Ohhhhhh *drooling*…. I took a big taste, fell into pasta sauce heaven and realized I burned my tongue. That’s ok, well worth the burn.
Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce #CleanPlate
The sauce tasted like something Mom would make. It was a perfect balance of tomato sauce and herbs. The meat stayed chunky and the onions and garlic melted in the sauce, leaving behind its wonderful flavors.
Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce #CleanPlate
Making this pasta sauce was incredibly easy. Basically it is 10 minutes of your time and the Crockpot does the rest. I sautéed my beef with onions and garlic, drained the fat and popped it in the Crockpot. I added two cans of Cantadina tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Added my fresh herbs, gave a mix and went to work.   The hardest part was waiting for time to pass so I can come home and try my newest recipe.
Cantadina Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste #CleanPlate
This was the first time I have ever used Cantadina Home Style Tomato Sauce, Diced Tomatoes and Tomato Paste and I must say I am pretty impressed. Actually really impressed! The colors of the sauce is a gorgeous red color and it smells like fresh tomatoes when you open the can. My Husband agreed with me that this is one of the best meat sauces I have made,  even though I made the sauce a tad spicy for him, he really enjoyed the taste. I loved it so much that the next day, I had just the sauce for dinner. What? Yes, I had just the sauce.  I dipped warmed sour dough bread into it. The sauce tastes even better the next day!!
Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce #CleanPlate
The recipe makes 11 servings, which sounds like a lot, but trust me, you’ll be eating it right up! I served this dish with spaghetti squash for me and qunioa pasta for my Husband. He saw me buy the quinoa pasta at the store and of course he complained that it was weird spaghetti. I said you have been eating it for 6 months. He said he knows, that he doesn’t like a wheat pasta. I laughed and said it’s not wheat! He had no clue, no clue what so ever, but he knew it wasn’t white pasta. lol, he still ate it all!  Here is my dish! I love spaghetti squash.
Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce #CleanPlate

Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce #CleanPlate
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 5 heaping cups
  • Serving size: 11 servings at ½ cup
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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A rich, red, thick Italian pasta sauce made with lean ground beef and herbs that is slow cooked in the Crockpot.
Ingredients
  • 1 lbs. ground beef (lean)
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 15 oz cans Contadina sauce
  • 1 15 oz can Contadina diced tomatos
  • 1 can (6 oz) Contadina tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp. dried basil leaves
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (use ¼ tsp for a less spicy sauce)
Instructions
  1. In a skillet over medium heat add ground beef, onion and garlic; stir the meat while breaking it apart. Cook until no longer pink. Drain the fat.
  2. In a Crockpot add the cooked meat mixture and add the remaining ingredients. Put the lid on the Crockpot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
  3. Serve over big bowl of pasta or spaghetti squash and top with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley or basil.
Notes
Calories per ½ cup: 117, Fat: 1.8, Cholesterol: 25, Sodium: 406, Potassium: 228, Carbs: 12, Fiber: 1.5, Sugar: 5.5, Protein: 11
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Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce #CleanPlate
If you want to see my moments that led up to my #CleanPlate, you must check out my Instagram page. I have from the moment at 4:30am, when I started the sauce, yes 4:30 am!  The making of the sauce and the moment I finished. So check out my Instagram periodically today, to see all the fun photos that led to the #CleanPlate.

I really enjoyed making my post today! I absolutely love my pasta sauce, love it!  Love how easy it is to make and besides cooking the ground beef, the Crockpot did the rest.  Nothing like coming home from a busy day and having a home cooked meal ready for you, especially a pasta dish.  Really, you must try this pasta sauce, it’ is amazing.

Need more recipe ideas, check out Cantadina on Foodie!

Have a fabulous week!

Toodles,

Jennifer

Every mealtime masterpiece starts with Contadina and ends with a clean plate. While many people enjoy posting photos of their food before they eat, we believe that a clean plate afterwards is the true testament to a delicious meal. And that meal is a labor of love, so share your gratitude with a clean plate celebration on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Contadina

Contadina
Slow Cooker Pasta Meat Sauce #CleanPlate

“Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Contadina via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Contadina.”

Feel free to leave a comment :)

  9. This is pretty much the exact same recipe that my mom makes for her sauce, except she adds more sugar and cooks it in a big, deep pot on the stove for several hours. It tastes amazing and I always have to have some without any pasta. It’s that good. You can easily freeze this sauce, that’s what she does so we have several other dinners ahead of time.

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