• Travel & Adventure
  • Giving
  • Musings
  • Contact
  • About
    • Copyright
    • Disclosures
    • Resources for Food Bloggers
    • Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Claudia's Table

Eat and Live in Color.

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Main
    • Beef & Pork
    • Poultry
    • Fish
    • Pasta
    • Vegetarian
    • Soups
    • Salads and Sides
    • 30 minute meals
    • Dressings and Sauces
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Gluten Sensitive
    • Small bites
    • Cocktails and Beverages
    • Meal Prep Ideas
    • Pressure and Slow Cooker
    • Entertaining
    • One Ingredient – 3 Ways
  • Instagram
  • How to

As seen on Instagram Beef and Pork Dressings and Sauces Entertaining Gluten Sensitive Main Pressure and Slow Cooker Recipe Index

Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

INSTANT POT – SLOW COOKER

We all need a Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce in our lives. One that we can have on the table in under an hour, at best under 30 minutes. And one that you can easily freeze leftovers.

Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce

The beauty of this one is that you can make it in your slow cooker or an Instant Pot. I make this sauce both ways and it’s a life saver during the week. Many times, I fly to a location for the day, return to LA and land around 6pm and just want to go home. Eating out just doesn’t sound appealing. I want to be in my jammy pants, sipping a glass of wine waiting for a quick meal to share with my husband. Another plus? It makes about 9 cups of sauce, about 3 quarts. I freeze the remaining amount for a rainy day.

The Inspo

This Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce is inspired by the ever so lively Josie. Josie was my husband’s Grandfather’s very close friend. She said everyone should know how to make sauce. Now her sauce was a true gem. Cooked many hours carefully on the stove with fresh ripe tomatoes, basil from the garden… The real deal. This sauce doesn’t compare to hers, but it sure is inspired by her. At the time, I didn’t know how to make sauce, but I sure got on it like it was my life’s work. So here you go.. make it, enjoy it. Thanks Josie!

How To

I’m going to make this in the Instant Pot today. The beauty of the Instant Pot is that you get the all day cooked flavor in a fraction of the time. Directions for both Instant Pot and Slow Cooker will be on the recipe card. The Instant Pot I own is the 6 quart, it’s the IP-LUX. If you are new to the Instant Pot craze, it takes awhile to get used to using it. Once you “get it”., it’s a life saver during the week. I waited quite a while before I bought one..I resisted it. Now I fully understand the hype and most of all the convenience and help it offers us during the work week.

sauce ingredients

Once the sauce is cooked, you will notice it seems watery. Two things, once it cools, it sets. The consistency is great for adding meatballs or sausages. I’ve make it thicker at times by adding more meat, but I like this balance of tomatoes and ground beef. Not too much of either..just somewhere in the middle. Another thing to note is that when you freeze it and then defrost, it will be even thicker.

If you prefer a thicker sauce, you can add another can of tomato paste or drain the ground beef after its cooked.

Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce
Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce

Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce

Ana | Claudia’s Table
Easy sauce for weeknight meals.
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Slow cooker 5 mins
Total Time 6 hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Calories 350 kcal

Equipment

  • Instant Pot
  • Slow cooker
  • Large sauce pan

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs ground beef lean, 85%
  • 1 whole onion finely chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 tsp oregano dried
  • 1 tsp basil dried
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning dried
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper optional
  • 1 can tomato paste 8oz
  • 2 cans crushed tomatoes 28oz
  • 1 tbsp sugar granulated
  • 2 tsp salt kosher
  • 1/2 tsp pepper black

Instructions
 

SLOW COOKER

  • Add olive oil to the sauce or saute pan.
  • Add ground beef and garlic, salt and pepper.
  • Saute until the meat is in small pieces. Add onion. Saute for a couple more minutes.
  • To slow cooker, add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, sugar. Then add ground beef mixture.
  • Stir all ingredients are combined.
  • Set slow cooker to LOW for 6-8 hours. Sauce will be done at 6 hours, but many have a warm setting. It can sit on warm for an additional 2 hours.

INSTANT POT

  • Start the pot on Saute.
  • Add ground beef, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute meat until browned and pieces the meat in small pieces. About 5 minutes.
  • Add, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper and sugar. Combine all ingredients.
  • Set Instant pot for meat/stew. High, for 10 minutes with natural release.
  • Natural release should be about 10 minutes, check sauce for salt.

Notes

SALT: When using tomatoes, sodium content varies greatly from brand to brand. For example: Cento crushed tomatoes have 40 mg sodium per 1/2 cup serving. Hunts has 260 mg of sodium for 1/2 cup serving.   So depending on what you have available to purchase, you may need to adjust as needed.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 350kcal
Keyword meat sauce, pasta sauce, spaghetti sauce

All content and photographs ©Claudia’s Table and claudiastable.com

Share the LoveMention @claudiastable_la or tag #claudiastable_la!

Looking for another Pasta recipe or Instant Pot? Try our Quick Weeknight Pasta Bake for a quick weeknight dinner.


Leave a Comment

Subscribe

Get the latest delicious goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Lobster Asparagus and Gruyere Quiche
Next Post: Roasted Purple Cauliflower »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search

sign up copy

Don’t a miss a recipe!

Get every new recipe straight to your inbox.

I’m so glad you’re here!

I'm so happy to share what's on our table most days. My California inspired food recipes are simple and full of fresh flavor. It is my hope that you will find something new to try and share with your family and friends. Enjoy! Read More…

How to-back to basics

chipotle chiles in ice cube tray

One Ingredient – 3 Ways

Herbes de Provence

Most Popular

Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce

Quick and Easy Weeknight Pasta Sauce

posted in As seen on Instagram, Beef and Pork, Dressings and Sauces, Entertaining, Gluten Sensitive, Main, Pressure and Slow Cooker, Recipe Index

Grilled romaine and radicchio salad plated

Grilled Romaine and Radicchio Caesar Salad

posted in As seen on Instagram, Gluten Sensitive, Low Carb, Main, Recipe Index, Salads and Sides, Vegetarian

chicken wings in bowl

Grilled Asian style Chicken Wings

posted in As seen on Instagram, Entertaining, Low Carb, Poultry, Recipe Index, Small bites

Categories

Don't miss a bite! Join us friends!

Disclosures

Footer

You might also like

sweet kale salad plated

Sweet Kale Quinoa Salad with Feta

Chilled Poached Salmon Salad

Easy Chilled Poached Salmon Salad

Roasted Zaatar Cauliflower

Roasted Za’Atar Cauliflower with Golden Tahini Harissa sauce

salad in bowl

Black Bean Rice Salad

Santa Maria Pinquito beans

Santa Maria Style Pinquito Beans

Archives

COPYRIGHT©2019-2021 - CLAUDIA'S TABLE