This page brings together five spaghetti dishes that range from slow-cooked sauces to a baked taco-style casserole. Each one uses a different method, from simmering and slow cooking to oven baking.
The recipes below highlight familiar ingredients in varied forms, including beef, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and cheese. Together they offer different ways to serve spaghetti with sauce, vegetables, or a baked finish.
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- Slow Cooker Hearty Beef and Vegetable Spaghetti
- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
- Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
- Taco Spaghetti Bake
Slow Cooker Hearty Beef and Vegetable Spaghetti
This slow cooker spaghetti combines browned ground beef with onion and garlic, then builds into a vegetable-filled sauce with bell pepper, carrots, celery, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, oregano, and basil. The spaghetti noodles are broken in half and added near the end, so they finish cooking in the sauce instead of separately. It is served hot with grated Parmesan cheese.
The method starts by browning the beef in a skillet, draining excess fat, and sautéing the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent. After everything moves to the slow cooker, the mixture cooks covered on low or high until the flavors develop. The noodles are stirred in about 30 minutes before serving and cooked until tender.
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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
This homemade spaghetti sauce begins with olive oil, onion, and garlic, then combines crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, sugar, salt, black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes. The sauce is meant to be spooned over cooked pasta, with fresh basil and Parmesan added if desired. Its profile leans simple and familiar, centered on tomato richness and gentle seasoning.
The onions are softened first in a saucepan, followed by garlic for a brief cook until fragrant. Once the tomatoes and seasonings are added, the sauce simmers uncovered and is stirred occasionally so it thickens evenly. The recipe also notes adjusting seasonings to taste and adding more sugar if needed to balance acidity.
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Slow Cooker Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
This slow cooker spaghetti aglio e olio keeps the ingredient list pared down, using broken spaghetti, olive oil, sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and water. Fresh parsley can be stirred in at the end, and Parmesan may be served alongside. The finished dish is warm, garlicky, and lightly spiced rather than heavily sauced.
To prepare it, the spaghetti goes directly into the slow cooker before the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, oil, and water are added on top. The pasta is cooked covered on low until tender, with a stir partway through if possible. The dish is ready when the liquid is absorbed, at which point parsley is mixed in.
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Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
This slow cooker spaghetti Bolognese starts with a classic base of onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and ground beef, then adds crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Served over cooked spaghetti with Parmesan, it reads as a hearty meat sauce rather than a noodle dish cooked entirely in the cooker. The vegetables help give the sauce body and depth.
The method begins in a skillet, where the vegetables are softened in olive oil before the beef is browned and any excess fat is drained. The mixture is then transferred to the slow cooker and left to cook covered on low or high, with a stir once or twice if possible. After that, the finished sauce is spooned over separately cooked spaghetti.
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Taco Spaghetti Bake
This taco spaghetti bake blends spaghetti with browned ground beef, taco seasoning, diced tomatoes and green chilies, cream of chicken soup, and cubed Velveeta, then tops the mixture with shredded cheddar. The result is baked in a greased dish until the cheese is melted and bubbly with golden edges. It is a more layered, casserole-style take on spaghetti than the saucy stovetop versions.
The spaghetti is cooked until al dente before being folded into the skillet mixture so it is evenly coated. After the beef is browned and the cheese sauce ingredients are cooked together until smooth, the pasta is transferred to a baking dish and finished in the oven. The recipe also notes letting it cool briefly before serving, with optional garnishes.
