Brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef along with 1 small sweet onion, finely diced and 1 green pepper, finely diced in a large skillet. Cook until meat is fully cooked and onions and peppers are softened. Drain excess grease.
Add ground beef mixture into a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
Stir in 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 24 ounce jar pasta sauce, 8 ounce can tomato sauce, 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, 1 cup water, 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning and 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar. (DO NOT ADD MACARONI NOODLES YET)
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for about 2-4 hours. Everything is already cooked so we’re basically just letting everything simmer and for the flavors to come together.
During the last hour of cooking, add in 1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni and stir. Cover and cook until noodles are al dente (or softer if you prefer).
Then serve! We enjoy eating this with some fresh garlic bread and a salad.
Video
Notes
Note: Many slow cookers have a sauté option. Please feel free to use this option on your slow cooker for less dirty dishes.
Switch out your meat to turkey or chicken if you'd like.
This can be cooked on high for 2-4 hours.
Penne and ziti can be substituted for the macaroni.