Description
This hearty 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Beef and Sausage Pasta is an easy, comforting meal perfect for busy days. Combining ground beef, pork sausage, spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, and elbow macaroni, this recipe uses the slow cooker to meld flavors and create a creamy, satisfying pasta dish with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
Sauces
- 45 ounces spaghetti sauce (e.g., Ragu)
- 15 ounces Alfredo sauce
Pasta
- 16 ounces elbow macaroni noodles
Instructions
- Add Meat: Place the raw ground beef and ground pork sausage into the slow cooker. Use a spoon or spatula to crumble the meat slightly, breaking it up to help it cook evenly.
- Add Sauces and Stir: Pour the spaghetti sauce and Alfredo sauce over the meat, ensuring the meat is well coated. Stir gently to mix the sauces with the meat in the slow cooker.
- Cook Meat Mixture: Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4 hours until the meat is fully cooked and flavors meld together.
- Break Up Meat: After cooking, use a wooden spoon to further break up the meat to ensure no large clumps remain, preparing the mixture for the pasta.
- Add Pasta and Cook: Add the elbow macaroni noodles to the slow cooker and stir until the noodles are evenly covered with the sauce and meat mixture.
- Final Cooking: Replace the lid and cook on low for another 30-45 minutes or on high for 15-30 minutes, or until the noodles are tender but not mushy. Stir before serving.
- Serve: Mix the pasta and meat sauce well and serve hot for a comforting family meal.
Notes
- You can reduce the amount of beef if you prefer less meat in your dish.
- Frozen meat can be used; if so, cook for the full 7 hours on low. For best results, break up the meat halfway through cooking—either about three hours in or after returning home.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
