Crockpot Spaghetti – O’s

Here’s an easy way to make a meal for kids that is sure to please! I am always trying to come up with easy meals to make in the crockpot for kids and this one has been our favorite so far. The recipe makes quite a bit. I freeze what we don’t eat and that makes for some even easier weeknight meals for the kids. 

Recipe: Crockpot Spaghetti-O’s

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef

1 egg

2 cans of tomato sauce

1 small can tomato paste

Grated cheese

3 Carrots, peeled & chopped small

1 lb Ditalini or small “O” shaped pasta

Directions: 

Start by making the mini meatballs. Mix the egg, ground beef and a generous amount of grated cheese (you could also add less cheese and add some bread crumbs instead). Mix together. Make very small meat balls. They should be about the size of a Hershey Kiss. Brown the meat balls in a little olive oil on the stove. Once they are browned, add to the crockpot. Add the cans of tomato sauce, tomato paste and the diced carrots. Cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6+ hrs (make sure the meatballs are cooked through). The last 15-20 min dump the pasta right into the crockpot. No need to cook first. Then eat!

I like cooking pasta right in the crockpot because it’s one less pot to clean and one less step in making dinner. But, if you leave it in the crockpot too long it will become overcooked and too soft. Depending on what kind of pasta you use, if it’s the first time you are cooking it in the crockpot, be sure to keep an eye on it! Ditalini is the easiest to find, but sometimes you can find actual “O” pasta. We have an Italian place in town that sells them. If you can find a bag/box, it makes the meal even more exciting for the kids! We’ve also found mini alphabet pasta to use for the recipe. This recipe is also great for toddlers.

Enjoy!