Slow-Cooked Spaghetti Sauce

Okay, so I'm really starting to feel old! It about did me in to get a minivan a couple of years ago and now, I'm officially a "soccer Mom"! My 4 year old had his first soccer practice tonight. Don't get me wrong...it was SO cute to watch him and see how much he seemed to enjoy it, but I feel like before I know it, he'll be starting school, driving, going to prom, dating, etc! It's amazing how quickly the time flies by! Since our schedules are getting busier and busier, between my husband and my work schedules and now throwing Jake's soccer practices/games into the mix, I've realized that my crockpot is going to become my new best friend :) I've had this recipe bookmarked for a while now and have been waiting for one of those "busy days" when I knew I didn't have time to fuss in the kitchen. I knew we'd be rushing off to Jake's soccer practice as soon as my husband got home from work and then wouldn't get home until at least 7:30-7:45, so this seemed like a perfect dinner idea! As soon as we got home, I made the pasta and some garlic bread and dinner was ready in 15 minutes! The only thing I want to mention is that you may want to watch your sauce carefully, as mine started to burn a bit--then again, it could have just been my crockpot!

Thanks, Heidi, for the recipe! We'll definitely be making it again soon!

Slow-Cooked Spaghetti Sauce

1 pound ground beef or bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons dried basil
1 to 2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Hot cooked spaghetti (we used penne, just because that's my husband's preference)

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Add the next 10 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until heated through. Discard bay leaf. Serve with spaghetti. 6-8 servings

Source: Tried-and-True cooking with Heidi