Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

My family loves spaghetti, especially the kids, but I get tired of the traditional meat sauce made with ground beef. My recipe uses 3 different kinds of pork: pork shoulder, sausage and pancetta; and it can feed a crowd, a minimum of 10 people. Since our family loves spaghetti so much, I will use half the sauce on the day I cook and freeze the other half for when I don't have time to cook. Also, this recipe can be made in the slow cooker, on the stove top, or in the oven; it's super versatile for whatever fits your needs.

Have I mentioned how I loathe the slow cooker? I know some people love their slow cookers, and use them multiple times a week. There are even websites devoted just to those freezer meals you can just drop into the slow cooker when you leave for work in the morning and when you return, dinner is ready. I haven't had such luck with my slow cooker.  I've tried just about every kind of cuisine in mine and I've been met with less than stellar results. Some meals were even inedible. Yes, after a few bites and we had to throw out the whole pot of dinner and eat scrambled eggs.

This is not one of those recipes. This Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce is amazing and you may never go back to the jarred, store-bought sauce ever again. I also like to make the sauce in my Dutch oven and bake it very slowly in the oven, but this requires me to be present during the cooking process, so I will only do this on a lazy weekend.

Let's talk about our ingredients.... Buy the high quality Italian tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes, if you opt for the better tomato your sauce will thank you. (That's also my favorite can opener from Joseph Joseph; it's one of the coolest kitchen gadgets.)  Also, go for real pancetta; bacon will not be an equal substitute. For one, it's too fatty or greasy and the smoky flavor will overwhelm the sauce. This pre-packaged, chopped brand of pancetta is great because it's one less thing for me to prep.

Start your recipe off by browning all of the meats in a skillet. First, brown the pork shoulder, then the Italian sausage, and last the pancetta. Transfer the meat to the slow cooker or if making in a Dutch oven, remove to a large plate.

Chop the Onions, Carrots and Garlic. Saute in the same skillet with a pinch of salt until soft.

Deglaze the pan with some red wine, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. 

Add the canned whole tomatoes and mash with a potato masher to break them up into bite sized pieces. Add tomato mixture to the slow cooker. 

Now pour the tomato puree in the skillet along with the fresh herbs. Bring to a simmer and add to the slow cooker. 

This is what your slow cooker should look like. It will be very full. I also like to use these slow cooker liners so clean up is really easy. 

Cook on low for 4 hours. Remove the large pieces of pork shoulder and shred into bite-sized pieces. Remove the herb stems from the sauce. 

Return the the shredded meat to the slow cooker and simmer for another 30 minutes while the pasta cooks. 

Since our family is gluten free, we like to use this type of gluten free pasta found at Trader Joe's. We have tried just about every brand out there and this one is the closest in flavor and texture to regular wheat pasta. 

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

4 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3 inch pieces

1 lb. Italian sausages, sweet or mild, removed from casings

3 ounces pancetta, chopped

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 large carrots, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry red wine

1 28 oz. can whole Italian or San Marzano tomatoes

1 28 oz. can tomato puree

1 rosemary sprig

2 thyme sprigs

salt and pepper, to taste

2 lbs. spaghetti 

Parmesan cheese, for garnish 

Directions:

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, working in batches, brown the pork shoulder. Remove to a slow cooker or large plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat and brown the Italian sausage, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. When fully cooked through, remove to slow cooker or plate. Pour off all of the accumulated fat and brown the pancetta until crisp; remove to the slow cooker or plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. 

Saute the onion, carrot and garlic for 3-5 minutes, until softened. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add in the whole tomatoes and crush with a potato masher. Bring to a simmer, then pour into the slow cooker. 

Add the tomato puree to the skillet along with the whole herbs, bring to a simmer and pour over the meat in the slow cooker. Turn slow cooker on low and cook for 4 hours. 

Remove large pieces of pork shoulder from sauce and shred into bite sized pieces. Return the meat to the sauce and simmer on low for 30 more minutes while the pasta is cooking.

Just for fun - Our little girl (when
she was a baby) enjoying her spaghetti. 

Cook pasta according to package (note: Our family only cooks 1 pound of pasta and freezes half of the sauce for another day.) Drain and return to the pot. Spoon 2-3 cups of sauce over the cooked noddles and stir to coat all of the noodles. Divide pasta into bowls and spoon additional sauce over noddles. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.