Catenzaro Family’s Spaghetti Sauce–a simple slow cooker spaghetti sauce with Italian sausage.
Catenzaro Family’s Spaghetti Sauce
Today’s recipe comes from our friends, the Catenzaros. It’s a recipe that’s been in their family for years and I’m so grateful they shared it with us. It’s a delicious and easy, 5-ingredient spaghetti sauce that gets flavored with Italian sausage links. Gina Catenzaro says it’s, “super easy but yummy! The sausage matters because it really adds the flavor!” So make sure to use a high quality sausage. She says that her husband’s parents used to go downtown to buy the Italian sausage at a Italian deli place…unfortunately that deli is no longer there 🙁
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Olive oil
- Italian sausage links–mild, medium or hot
- Tomato paste
- Tomato sauce
- Water–or broth
- Petite diced tomatoes–or crushed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes
Steps
Heat a pan over medium high heat (or if you have a saute setting on your slow cooker use that). Add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the sausage and and brown for a couple minutes on both sides. Add to the slow cooker.
Add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, water and diced tomatoes. Stir.
Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
Use tongs to place the sausage links on a cutting board. Slice into 1 inch slices and stir them into the sauce.
Serve on top of cooked spaghetti or stir some cooked spaghetti into the sauce. Top with a bit of parmesan cheese.
Notes/Tips
- Serve with garlic bread and a green salad.
- I used a 6 quart Ninja slow cooker. My slow cooker has a stovetop setting which is really nice for browning and sauteing before slow cooking. They no longer sell my particular model but there are other ninja slow cookers that are similar.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with tomato paste are Instant Pot Cabbage Rolls and Porcupines in a Pot.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Catenzaro Family’s Spaghetti Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
A simple slow cooker spaghetti sauce with Italian sausage.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 (19 oz) package Italian sausage links
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
- 1 cup water or broth
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Heat a pan over medium high heat (or if you have a saute setting on your slow cooker use that). Add in the oil and swirl around. Add in the sausage and and brown for a couple minutes on both sides. Add to the slow cooker.
- Add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, water and diced tomatoes. Stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Use tongs to place the sausage links on a cutting board. Slice into 1 inch slices and stir them into the sauce.
- Serve on top of cooked spaghetti or stir some cooked spaghetti into the sauce. Top with a bit of parmesan cheese.
Notes
Serve with hot cooked spaghetti (enough sauce for 1 pound of spaghetti).
Choose a high-quality sausage. It’s the key to the sauce’s flavor, so don’t skimp here.
You can also make this in a dutch oven. Cook in the oven at 190° F for 4-5 hours.
- Category: Sausage
- Method: Slow Cooker
More slow cooker recipes to try…
Cheapskate Soup
An inexpensive and delicious Italian soup with ground beef, macaroni, carrots, and tomato sauce. An easy Instant Pot or Crockpot recipe.
Instant Pot Bev’s Spaghetti
A thick and chunky spaghetti sauce with flavorful Italian sausage pressure cooked in your Instant Pot or slow cooked in your Crockpot.
Case Closed Casserole
Italian style meatballs, ravioli, red sauce and spinach cooked together and topped with cheese. An easy dump and go meal that you can make in the Instant Pot, slow cooker or oven.
Slow Cooker Baked Ziti with Pepperoni
This cheesy baked ziti is made in the slow cooker for an easy dinner. Peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic and pepperoni make this pasta dish exciting and flavorful. Ricotta and mozzarella add the cheesy and creamy goodness we all love in a good casserole!
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
14