Slow Cooker Meat Sauce
Made with pantry ingredients, this super simple Slow Cooker Meat Sauce is super flavorful and simple to prepare. Serve over your choice of pasta, zoodles or spaghetti squash.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 251kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 lb bulk Italian chicken sausage (if using links, remove from casing before cooking)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated (optional)
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans of fire roasted crushed tomatoes (such as Muir Glen)
- 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt to taste
Optional:
Instructions
- Heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken sausage, onion and bell pepper to the skillet. Let cook, crumbling the sausage as it cooks, until browned.
- Place meat/veggie mixture into crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
Notes
1.Moisture doesn't evaporate in the slow cooker like it does on the stovetop. If your meat sauce looks a little too watery at the end of cook time, take the lid off, set it to high and let it cook off some of the excess liquid. Just keep an eye on it, so it doesn't reduce too much.
2.Ingredients vary from brand to brand of chicken sausage. I use pasture-raised chicken sausage from my butcher, which doesn't have nutrition info. The estimates below were based on Whole Foods 365 Everyday Value Italian Chicken Sausage.
Stove-Top Option - Sauté the meat, onions and bell pepper together until meat has browned and veggies are tender. Add the garlic and seasonings, toss to combine and cook for one minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Estimated Nutrition Facts: