Crock Pot Creamy Spaghetti

Do you ever feel like you have bad picture days? No matter what angle you stand at, no matter how you smile, no matter what clothes you wear, no matter how you wear your hair...you just look like poop. Well if I could imagine what this Crock Pot Creamy Spaghetti feels like, I would say that it is having a bad picture day.

Before I delve into talking about how delicious this recipe is, let's just talk about how many pictures I took of this mound of spaghetti and how I'm still not happy with how any of them look. This is by far the best one, if you can believe it. Why don't we just overlook the lack of photogenic skills of spaghetti and talk about how great this dish tastes (it totally makes up for how unphotogenic it is). This Crock Pot Creamy Spaghetti is some of the best spaghetti I've ever eaten. It has the same ingredients as your normal spaghetti, but the flavors from the pasta sauce, vegetables, and seasonings are much more intense and can be tasted in each and every bite of pasta that you take. Unlike spaghetti prepared on the stovetop where the sauce merely sits on top of the pasta, this crock pot version allows the pasta to soak up the wonderful flavors from all of the ingredients and cook for hours, allowing the flavors to become concentrated and that much more delicious. If you've ever had baked spaghetti, the outcome of this dish is very similar. But unlike baked spaghetti, this recipe does not require your supervision. Go out and run errands, browse Pinterest...or my blog :), chit chat with your family, call a friend, take a nap, or just hang out for a few hours and allow this masterpiece of a recipe to do its thing. Once you try this crock pot spaghetti, I guarantee you'll never make spaghetti on the stovetop again.

Crock Pot Creamy Spaghetti (adapted from Picky Palate)
(4 servings)

1 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
1/2 lb whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 Original Laughing Cow Cheese wedges or 1 ounce low fat (Neufchatel) cream cheese
ground black pepper and garlic powder to taste
1/4-1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
optional: 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey, cooked
optional: 1 cup mushrooms, rinsed and chopped

Pour half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a crock pot. Break spaghetti noodles in half and layer on top of sauce. Top spaghetti noddles with onion, bell pepper, and tomato (and ground beef and/or mushrooms if using). Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese and drop cubes of cheese wedges over top. Season with pepper, garlic powder, and other seasonings you prefer. Top with remaining pasta sauce.

Cook over high heat for 3 hours. Stir mixture-it will be thick. Add chicken broth (more for a thinner sauce), and stir ingredients together. Close lid and let cook for another hour or until ready to serve.

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Nutritional Info (for recipe made with Laughing Cow Cheese wedges)
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 323.0
Total Fat: 3.5 g
Cholesterol: 4.2 mg
Sodium: 760.6 mg
Total Carbs: 66.3 g
Fiber: 11.6 g
Sugars: 15.3 g
Protein: 12.1 g

Pros:
-Easy to make
-Minimal prep work required
-Quick, crock pot recipe
-Low in fat and high in fiber
-Versatile-use your favorite pasta sauce and add whatever meat and/or vegetables that you like with your spaghetti

Cons:
-High in sodium per serving (try using a reduced sodium pasta sauce)