Slow Cooker Skinny Spaghetti

4.60 from 10 votes

A favorite go to recipe for those super busy days.

This Slow Cooker Skinny Spaghetti recipe is an easy way to prepare family-favorite spaghetti and have it ready and waiting for you at the end of a long day. This healthy spaghetti recipe is just as hearty and delicious as traditional recipes, but it has fewer calories and less saturated fat. Our slow cooker spaghetti recipe is a great option for entertaining, too, or when you need to whip up a simple meal for a large group. We love taking it to office and holiday potlucks!

Looking for other healthy Italian alternatives? Give our Linguine with Baby Arugula a try or indulge in this Celebrity Version of Angel Hair Aglio Olio.

4.60 from 10 votes

Slow Cooker Skinny Spaghetti

With fewer calories and saturated fat, this slow-cooked spaghetti will be the highlight of your week.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Yield 8 people
Serving Size 1 cup
Course Dinner
Cuisine Italian
Author SkinnyMs.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey optional ground beef
  • 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti broken into pieces
  • 25 ounce basil marinara jar
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated

Instructions

  • Cook ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks.
  • Cook just until it loses its pink color. Drain off any fat. Add cooked turkey to the slow cooker.
  • Add broken spaghetti and marinara. Stir to combine all ingredients, ensuring spaghetti is coated with marinara. Cover and cook on low 2-3 hours or until spaghetti is al dente.
  • Serve on a platter and sprinkle with parmesan.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 407mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g |
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 7
Keywords Budget-Friendly, Kid-Friendly, Pasta, Slow Cooker

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43 Comments

  1. I may or may not have confused myself. For the Turkey sausage mix, do you combine the meat and spices, then brown it all together? As well, could you still do the same procedure for the hamburger so you get all those flavors? Also, for the layering, it states you'll end up with 3-4. Now is that 3-4 layers of each (pasta, meat mixture and cheese mixture), or 3-4 layers total? If you use skim ricotta cheese, is that the same or close to low fat? For the sea salt, should one use iodized? Sorry for all the questions!

  2. Well I ended up using the spices in the hamburger (like you would do for the turkey) and man was it spicy! Is it supposed to be? Also, mine looked more like mush then your picture. Maybe I didn't use enough pasta?

  3. What would I cut out if I wanted to make it less spicy for my kids. They like it but they always complain it is too spicy.

  4. made this last night..came out pretty good..made the turkey sausage..it was spicy, but I like spicy..and figured it would hide the turkey from the beef eaters in the fam..daughter liked it..I don't think I added enough spaghetti and was worried about over cooking it, so checked at 1.5 and it was almost done.

      1. Serving Size: 1 cup of the recipe – Data using Amy's organic marinara sauce Calories: 199 Total Fat: 5 gm Cholesterol: 28 mg Sodium: 366 mg Carbohydrates: 23 gm Protein: 14 gmData using turkey sausage: Calories: 205 Total Fat: 6 gm Cholesterol: 31 mg Sodium: 368 mg Carbohydrates: 23 gm Protein: 14 gm

  5. So to clarify, if I choose to use lean beef, I don't use the sea salt, pepper flakes, etc. that are listed? I'm kinda confused. 🙂

  6. I am fine with my recipe looking different from the picture, but I didn't expect a pot of goo after 2 hours on low. Some noodles cooked, some were clumped, some had the consistency of no bake lasagna if you touch it too soon. Just a big mess that was a waste of time and money.

    1. Sorry to hear that. Our other reviews have been fantastic for this recipe. Were the noodles completely covered with sauce?

  7. I just made this recipe using ground beef. It turned out to taste really good, but some of the noodles didn't get cooked. I realized after how important it is to ensure all the noodles are covered with plenty of sauce!! And I cooked it for about 2 hours 15 minutes and the noodles that did get done were a bit too done. So be sure to pay attention to covering all the noodles with sauce. My husband said he still really liked it even though it was a bit of a goopy mess!

  8. We appreciate the feedback. It may depend on the strength of the red pepper flakes. Some are hotter than others. You're the first to mention it. We may make a note on the recipe.

  9. We appreciate the feedback. It may depend on the strength of the red pepper flakes. Some are hotter than others. You're the first to mention it. We may make a note on the recipe. Thank for your support.

  10. Mine looks okay in the middle, but is burnt on the outside. I haven't tried the noodles yet but did cook it for the three hours, hopefully they aren't too too done!!

  11. Can you just make the sauce and cook noodles on the stove top?  I realize that the point is to make it all in the slow cooker, but I'm just thinking of different options.

  12. I made this last night and thought it was great. The texture was definitely a little bit chewy in places and next time I will lighten up the italian seasoning — too strong for my taste. I loved the bite… definitely spicy!

  13. i believe there is an error in the protein content listed under pasta with only marinara. i doubt there is 14g protein in the dish with meat as well as in the dish without.

  14. Just made this today for the first time. Used turkey italian sausage instead of making my own and it tasted fine. However,my husband and I didn't like the texture of the noodles cooked in the slowcooker. They were gummy, even though I only cooked the spaghetti for the suggested time.

  15. This was my experience, too, and I was intentional to completely cover my noodles with sauce. Clumpy and matted together.

  16. made the slow cooker spaghetti last night. i hand tossed all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl before putting it into slow cooker. able to coat all the noodles this way. turned out PERFECT

  17. I love this recipe I leave out the red pepper flakes and the capers because those killed the taste for me and the first batch went into the trash.. I only cook mine for two hours and it turns out great..

  18. This is one use of a slow cooker I hadn't thought of. This sounds like a great recipe and one I'd like to try very soon!.

  19. Spaghetti is one of our favorites for my crock pot. Love coming home to the smell of the sauce cooking. This is on our menu for tomorrow night!!

  20. I know I am late to the party, and I may be totally missing something . . . but I don’t see sausage in the recipe in any way shape or form?

    1. Here’s the recipe with sausage. Our recipe photo was mixed up but we’ll add the correct one. 🙂

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