Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

This slow cooker spaghetti sauce is made with both ground beef and Italian sausage, along with tomatoes and vegetables.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound italian sausage, remove from casings
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans tomatoes (14.5 ounces each), diced or broken up
2 cans tomato sauce (8 ounces each)
2 cans (4 ounces each) sliced mushrooms, drained
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
4 tablespoons tapioca, quick-cooking
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash salt, or to taste
hot cooked spaghetti, drained

Instructions:

In a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, cook ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain off excess fat.

Meanwhile in crockpot, combine undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, green pepper, tapioca, bay leaves, oregano, basil, pepper, and salt. Stir in browned drained meat mixture.

Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours or on HIGH setting for about 4 hours. Remove bay leaves. Serve sauce over hot spaghetti.
Serves 8.