Slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs is hands down the easiest dinner you can make. Just add the ingredients to your crock pot, set it, and forget it, and dinner is ready!
On the busiest of days, this is one of those dinners I love to have in my arsenal.
It turns an easy dinner into one of the easiest dinners you can imagine.
Just dump and go and you’ve got a steaming pile of slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs that you can feed the entire family with.
Ingredients
You’ll need:
- Spaghetti sauce– Your favorite brand of store bought sauce. Make sure you have 48 ounces.
- Frozen meatballs– Again you can use any brand you like or homemade ones you’ve made and previously frozen.
- Extra liquid– Either water or chicken broth
- Seasoning– Garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, salt and pepper
- Spaghetti– Uncooked
- Olive oil
How to Make
To make this, start by lightly spraying your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour 1/4 of the total sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker, and spread it out in an even layer.
Put the frozen meatballs in the slow cooker in a single layer on the sauce.
Then pour the rest of the sauce evenly over the meatballs.
Next pour in the water.
Sprinkle the seasonings evenly out overtop.
Add the pasta, preferably not in a single clump.
Drizzle the olive oil over top of the pasta, then use a fork to spread it out as much as possible.
Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours, stirring every hour.
Stir everything together well, and serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Do I have to add extra water to slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs?
It doesn’t have to be water but you need more liquid so the spaghetti doesn’t clump together and cooks properly.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Tips and Tricks
- You don’t have to spray the bowl of your slow cooker with nonstick spray, but I recommend it as it makes for easier cleanup. Stuck on sauce can be a pain to scrub off.
- Don’t skip spreading some of the sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker- this prevents the pasta from burning and sticking to the bottom.
- Try not to take too much time when stirring the pasta every hour. The longer the lid’s off, the longer it will take the slow cooker to rebuild the heat to cooking temperature.
Other Slow Cooker Pasta Recipes
Slow cooker spaghetti and meatballs turns the classic into an even easier dinner.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other slow cooker pasta recipes?
Try these:
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken & Noodles
- Crockpot Chicken Alfredo with Broccoli
- Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Soup with Tortellini
If you’ve tried this SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Slow Cooker Spaghetti & Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 48 oz jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 20 oz bag frozen meatballs
- 4 cups water or chicken broth
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1 lb spaghetti uncooked
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Lightly spray your slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour 1/4 of the total sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker, and spread it out in an even layer.
- Add the frozen meatballs to the slow cooker in a single layer.
- Top evenly with the rest of the sauce, then pour in the water.
- Sprinkle the seasonings evenly out overtop.
- Add the pasta, preferably not in a single clump. Drizzle the olive oil over top of the pasta, then use a fork to spread it out as much as possible.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours, stirring every hour.
- Stir everything together well, and serve warm with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- You don't have to spray the bowl of your slow cooker with nonstick spray, but I recommend it as it makes for easier cleanup. Stuck on sauce can be a pain to scrub off.
- Don't skip spreading some of the sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker- this prevents the pasta from burning and sticking to the bottom.
- Try not to take too much time when stirring the pasta every hour. The longer the lid's off, the longer it will take the slow cooker to rebuild the heat to cooking temperature.
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Semi Homemade Recipes
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