Whenever I serve this on the table, everyone just devours it

Slow cookers make the best comfort food meals, and they’re always welcome in every season of the year, but especially when the weather turns cool. This slow cooker pasta-based goulash delivers warm, satisfying deliciousness. It’s meaty, cheesy and tomato-saucy — and of course, full of noodles.

The recipe is easy to make and will feed your whole, hungry family. You can get this prepped and into the slow cooker in an easy 15 minutes. After a few hours of hands-free cooking, just boil up some pasta, and stir it into the stew, then top it with cheese. It’s fast and it’s tasty. What’s not to love?

2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
Three 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
Two 14 ½-ounce cans diced tomatoes, with their juice
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Italian seasonings
3 bay leaves
2 cups elbow pasta
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef breaking it up with a spatula until it's browned, about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer to the slow cooker pot, and add the onions, garlic, tomato sauce, tomatoes with their juice, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and bay leaves.

3. Cover the slow cooker, and cook for 8 hours on low or for 4 hours on high.

4. Just before the slow cooker is done cooking, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.

5. Stir the cooked pasta.

6. Serve hot.

Pro tip: If you want a thin sauce, reserve.1 cup of the cooking water and add into the slow cooker. Add additional cooking water as needed to thin the sauce.