Meaty Spaghetti Sauce

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound italian sausage, remove from casings
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cans tomatoes (14.5 ounces each), diced or broken up
• 2 cans tomato sauce (8 ounces each)
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 4 tablespoons tapioca, quick-cooking
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf basil, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• dash salt, or to taste
• hot cooked spaghetti, drained

In a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, cook ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain off excess fat.

Meanwhile in crockpot, combine undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, mushrooms, green pepper, tapioca, bay leaves, oregano, basil, pepper, and salt. Stir in browned drained meat mixture.

Cover and cook on LOW for 10 hours or high heat setting for 5 hours. Remove bay leaves. Serve sauce over hot spaghetti.
Serves 8.