Close As I Can Come to Mama's Spaghetti Sauce

For some reason, I never wrote down exactly how mama made her spaghetti sauce that I just loooved. I think that she used meat with a bit more fat and flavor than we can buy today. I did get ground chuck that was 80% lean and there were little pockets of fat floating on the sauce, just like hers. I have watched her make her sauce so many times that I pretty much knew her ingredients. This sauce is almost an exact replica, with just a few extra Italian spices. Daddy wouldn't let her use garlic. He couldn't stand the smell or aftertaste. Michael might just eat this until he "pukes". It's done in the crock pot, so it's a great weeknight staple for your recipe collection. My picture turned out blurry, so I borrowed one. Penne is pictured, but we love traditional spaghetti noodles.

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 Bell pepper chopped (1 cup)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (6 oz)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (28 oz) Progresso® diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans (15 oz each) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

In large skillet cook meat, onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic until beef is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Spoon meat mixture into slow cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover, cook on low heat 8 to 9 hours.