Ingredients:

• 1-2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey (thawed)
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 yellow onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 c fresh spinach or 1 box thawed frozen spinach
• 2 cans tomato sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Chop garlic, bell pepper and onion.  Place in slow cooker.
2. Empty all cans of tomatoes into slow cooker.
3. Add all spices.
4. Add ground meat.
5. Thoroughly mix together.  Use a wooden spoon and be sure to break up the meat well, so that there are not any large chunks.

     6. Cover with lid and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

    7. Stir sauce after cooking 6-8 hours.

    8. Add spinach and stir into sauce.

  9. Cover sauce.

 10. Cook spaghetti according to package directions.

  11. Add cooked spaghetti to sauce and stir well before serving. I tend to buy pasta at      Costco in bulk or at my local Raley’s when it goes on sale.  Never pay more than $1 a  package for pasta!

This is the first time I tried this spaghetti combination in the crock pot.  It was a hit with everyone!  I came home from work and our home smelled delicious and I was relieved that I didn’t have to cook!  My husband and I agreed that the sauce tasted like “authentic Italian” sauce from a restaurant.

I try to add spinach or grated squash to almost every meal.  Both spinach and squash cook down to almost nothing.  This is how I sneak in extra servings of veggies for my son and husband!

This is an extremely delicious, healthy, and frugal meal.  We had salad and steamed broccoli and the entire meal was under $10!  We have tons of leftovers, I would think this recipe would easily serve 6 adults.

Enjoy!