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Home » Recipes

Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce (that will feed a crowd!)

Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce from 100 Days of Real Food #realfood #slowcooker

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I was first introduced to this style of spaghetti sauce by our old babysitter, Kim, long ago when we lived in Florida and I was working full time for corporate America. While the baby (who is now 8 going on 9!) was napping and I was working, Kim would start or sometimes even make our dinner for us. And with our work schedules back then, her extra help with dinner was such a life saver at times. Granted, at that time in our lives, the meat wasn't local and the tomatoes weren't organic and the pasta definitely wasn't whole-grain, BUT it was still a somewhat wholesome meal I very much enjoyed and remember to this day.

And thanks to a similar dish made by my friend Trang and a "Super Sunday Sauce" recipe I found in Rachael Ray Magazine, I was able to piece together how Kim made this for us, plus - added bonus - turn it into a dish that can simmer all day long in the slow cooker!

Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce (that will feed a crowd!)

Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce

This slow cooker Sunday Sauce is a hearty, delicious crowd pleaser. There is just no other way to describe it! Add in prepared meatballs, pork ribs, and sausage for a tasty dinner that also freezes well to enjoy on a busy weeknight.
6 Reviews / 5 Average
Prep Time: 25 minutes mins
Cook Time: 5 hours hrs
Total Time: 5 hours hrs 25 minutes mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Method: Slow Cooker
Diet: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free
Print Recipe
Servings: 10 people
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Ingredients
  

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
  • 1 pound pork ribs (country style, preferably pasture raised)
  • 1 pound sausage (mild Italian, preferably pasture raised, either links that have been cut into 1 inch pieces or ground sausage)
  • 1 pound meatballs (beef, preferably grass-fed)
  • 1 onion (small, diced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (with juice)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pepper (to taste)

For serving

  • whole-grain noodles (cooked)
  • basil (fresh)
  • parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

Instructions
 

  • In your largest skillet over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and cook the ribs on one side for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the prepared meatballs and sausage pieces to the pan (depending on the size of your pan you may need to cook the meat in batches) then flip the ribs over to the other side. After 2 to 3 minutes flip over the meatballs and sausage link pieces (or break up the sausage with a spatula if using ground). Keep cooking until all of the meat is done all the way through and no longer pink in the middle.
  • Transfer the meat from the pan to the slow cooker. In the same pan heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add the onion. After 3 or 4 minutes add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so. Scrape the onion and garlic on top of the meat in the slow cooker.
  • Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, and pepper into the slow cooker on top of the meat mixture.
  • Turn the slow cooker on high and cook for 5 to 6 hours or until the rib meat is falling off the bone. Serve with whole-grain noodles and a side salad and enjoy!

Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 984 Calories from Fat 360
% Daily Value*
Fat 40g62%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 91mg30%
Sodium 2265mg98%
Potassium 6072mg173%
Carbohydrates 136g45%
Fiber 35g146%
Sugar 81g90%
Protein 48g96%
Vitamin A 3990IU80%
Vitamin C 222.3mg269%
Calcium 794mg79%
Iron 28.3mg157%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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12.9K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Linda says

    August 20, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    Never have seen grain fed meatballs. Can someone give me a brand? Also, I don't do anything with ribs, so I would substitute another meat for that as well as Italian turkey sausage for the regular sausage. Other ingredients seem pretty straightforward.

    Reply
    • Jason Leake with 100 Days of Real Food says

      January 29, 2019 at 8:49 am

      You make the meatballs yourself using a recipe linked to within this recipe.

      Reply
  2. Starr says

    January 28, 2016 at 1:09 pm

    I think this recipe sounds like it is very tasty. It seems hard to justify the cost of using 3 pounds of meat for one dish. It seems like a food budget buster.

    Reply
    • Kristin says

      July 31, 2016 at 10:58 pm

      I think the whole idea behind "Sunday Sauce" was a way to use leftovers. I am sure you could just use whatever meats you had or could find on clearance and it would be just as good.

      Reply
  3. Laura Hudson says

    November 02, 2015 at 4:34 pm

    Thank you! This sauce is delicious!

    Reply
  4. Laura says

    November 02, 2015 at 7:04 am

    Should the meat be drained or do you add everything to the crockpot?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      November 02, 2015 at 11:39 am

      Hi Laura. I leave it all in the crock pot. :)

      Reply
  5. Shannon says

    October 25, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    5 stars
    I have been following your blog for years and bought the book a couple of weeks ago. We love all of the recipes from the book so far (so easy!). I have made your homemade red sauce a couple of times and today I am tackling this one - hoping it is just a delicious as the others. Thank you for making eating and cooking whole foods easy for this two working parent household with a toddler and another on the way!!

    Reply
  6. YOLANDA says

    August 11, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    whoops sorry, didn't see the previous 4 pages of comments, haha

    Reply
  7. YOLANDA says

    August 11, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    Just curious, do I have to step #1? Because if it sits in the crockpot all day, doesn't it get cooked through? Sorry, I'm super lazy. :D

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      August 13, 2015 at 8:53 am

      Hi Yolanda. The meatballs might fall apart if you skip the first step.

      Reply
  8. Sarah says

    May 07, 2015 at 4:20 pm

    Would beef stew meat work in place of the meatballs? I'm making this for someone who doesn't like the texture of ground beef.

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      May 22, 2015 at 12:11 pm

      Hi Sarah. I think it would. :)

      Reply
  9. Marlo says

    February 15, 2015 at 11:10 am

    5 stars
    Lisa, your slow cook Sunday sauce is amazing, made your tried and true meatballs too! Can you please provide nutrition information for it? I had it over spaghetti squash and had to go back for seconds. :)

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      February 18, 2015 at 6:27 pm

      Hi Marlo. We do not provide nutrition information on our recipes. This post will help you understand why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/. You can use an online tool like My Fitness Pal if you need those details.

      Reply
  10. Katyana says

    January 29, 2015 at 12:35 pm

    Hi - is there a brand and size of slow cooker you recommend? The slow cooker recipes sound amazing!

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      February 01, 2015 at 12:10 pm

      Hi. Lisa uses a Panasonic. You can find it here: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/my-kitchen-essentials/.

      Reply
  11. Teresa says

    October 12, 2014 at 12:28 pm

    I know meat shreds in the crock pot which is great for the pork but does the meatballs stay whole or do the break apart also thank you

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      October 15, 2014 at 9:53 am

      Hi Teresa. They stay mostly in tact. ~Amy

      Reply
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Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

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