Quick and Easy Crockpot Spaghetti

Well, here we are again. I wanted to share a recipe that is one of my go-to's when I have just finished three shifts in the ER and need a quick idea for dinner. This is one of my favorite, savory and delicious, but easy to make recipes. Simple ingredients mixed together and put in the crockpot to cook away while you go about your day!

Let’s get started…

Ingredients:

• 1.5 pounds ground meat (I typically use ground deer or elk and sometimes put a half pound of spicy wild pig breakfast sausage in if I have it on hand)

• 1 yellow onion

• 2 cloves chopped garlic

• 2 15 oz canned tomato sauce

• 1 15 oz stewed tomatoes (sometimes I use 1.5 cans if I went a little heavy on my meat)

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 10 ounces spinach (I rarely weigh mine, I typically add, stir, add stir, then add a little more)

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese

• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

• 10 oz of whole wheat pasta (you choose, I prefer the elbow noodles)
  

First Things First

First things first, brown you meat with the onion and garlic. Once this is done place it in the crockpot. Now that its in the crockpot add your tomato sauce, stewed tomatoes and spices.

Place the crockpot on low for about 5-6 hours! Now go do whatever you need to do, this is my favorite part. Usually I am browning my meat while I am making coffee or preparing breakfast, multi-tasking at its finest.

Next, boil water to cook your pasta. I Usually start this when the crockpot has been on for approximately 5 1/2 hours. While my noodles are cooking, after the water has come to a boil, I will add my spinach to the crockpot, handful by handful stirring it in.

You think you have added a ton but it cooks down and you hardly know it's there. After my spinach is stirred in I will add my mozzarella cheese and stir it in. You can always omit this ingredient if you don't want dairy or change the amount.

At this point my noodles are cooked, I drain them and then add them to the crockpot. I prefer less noddles so I stir them in slowly and don’t always use all of them.

Then I add the parmesan cheese on top and dinner is ready!

I will typically have a side salad to serve with this. My go to is always green leafy mix with spinach, cucumber, red onion, and a few shredded carrots! I use a balsamic vinaigrette that I am obsessed with! I will show you a quick tutorial next on putting together a great salad in minutes!

This is a great recipe for the family or to meal prep for your week. This has a good combination of fats, protein, and carbs. I like to add a small side of vegetables with this! Also, I have vacuum sealed and freezed it once it cools down and then defrosted it for meals weeks later when I was busy and needed something quick! I tend to make extras when I know I have out of town trips planned or we have busy schedules; that way when I get back to town I can defrost some pre-made foods and be ready for my work week! Please reach out with any questions!