Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

1 pound ground beef or turkey*
Boxed pasta, quantity and type your choice
Small can of tomato sauce AND diced tomato, or prepared pasta sauce
dash of vinegar, white wine or balsamic
small spoon of sugar if you are using raw tomato sauce to offset acidity
Italian seasoning to taste
Salt to taste (may want to adjust at end of cooktime)
onion
mushrooms, optional
fresh red pepper, optional

Put tomato sauce and spices into the crock pot, stir. Set to low temp and set time so it starts to warm. This is best if cooked more than 4 hours. Put the meat onto the stove to brown, salt liberally. While the meat browns, chop onions and optional mushrooms and red pepper. When the meat is browned, take it out of the pan with a spatula and leave some of the fat in to fry the vegetables. Add chopped vegetables to the frying pan and cook until until onion is transparent. Dump into the crock pot.

About 40 minutes before you want to eat, boil salted water for the pasta. Cook pasta according to directions, checking the sauce as the pasta cools to make sure the spices are balanced. Drain the pasta, do not rinse, and put back into pot. It’s your choice if you want to add the sauce to the pasta or serve pasta with the sauce over it.

* Be sure to ask for “mince” if you are in Ireland or they will think you are a crazy American.