Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce
Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce
Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce that cooks all day and has ahh-mazing rich flavor! So easy to make in the crockpot and tastes better than anything you could buy at the store!
This homemade slow cooker marinara sauce is a mishmash of a few different recipes that I have come across over the years. Because you see when your Italian you have a very hard time following a recipe to the letter. Especially something like a sauce or gravy as some like to call it.
This recipe can be made on the stove top also if you don’t want to use the slow cooker but sometimes you just don’t have time to spend watching sauce on the stove top so the slow cooker comes in super handy! I like to let the sauce cook in the slow cooker for a full 8 hours. You can let it cook for less if you like but I have found you get so much more flavor, richness of flavor if you cook it low and slow.
We have tried a few different recipes for marinara and we have found a few that we really like. Depending on what region of Italy you are in you will find different variations of marinara recipes.
PIN IT!!
Honestly I think if your using good tomatoes like canned certified San Marzano your sauce will taste amazing! There is something about good tomatoes, fresh garlic, basil and olive oil that brings all the right flavors together to make this sauce perfect! Add a few extra ingredients and you will have a delicious sauce that is full of scrumptious flavor.
For this version of marinara we used a mix of caramelized onions and chopped carrots. You can of course leave out the carrots if you like but they really give the sauce a nice flavor. The carrots and onions get caramelized for this sauce.
HOW TO CARAMELIZE ONIONS AND CARROTS:
Peel and chop the onions and chop the carrots.
Heat a medium pan over medium heat and add 4 Tablespoons of olive oil. Heat the oil until it is just hot and add carrots the onions.
Stir the onions and carrots making sure not to burn. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the onions and carrots occasionally so they don’t stick or burn on the bottom of the pan. This takes about 15-20 minutes and can be made the day before you make your sauce.
OTHER RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Bacon and Spinach Pasta with Parmesan
Philly Cheesesteak Pasta Recipe
Easy Skillet Enchilada Pasta
Pasta in Tomato Sauce with Peas
Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 28 oz San Marzano tomatoes
- 8 oz. tomato sauce
- 6 oz. tomato paste
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- dash of crushed red pepper
Instructions
- 1. Peel and chop the onions and chop the carrots. Heat a medium pan over medium heat and add 4 Tablespoons of olive oil. Heat the oil until it is just hot and add carrots the onions.Stir the onions and carrots making sure not to burn. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the onions and carrots occasionally so they don’t stick or burn on the bottom of the pan. This takes about 15-20 minutes and can be made the day before you make your sauce. Add garlic the last 5 minutes.
2. Pour the 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes in the slow cooker. 3. Add 8 oz of tomato sauce and 6 oz can of tomato paste. Add carrot and onion and mix together until well incorporated. 4. Add, bay leaves, basil, oregano. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to mix well. 5. Add brown sugar , crushed red pepper
6. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.7. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
