Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce

Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce! This delicious recipe has been generously shared by one of your very first Lovefoodies supporters, Bonnie Price.

This is an “eyeball it” recipe and Italian grandmas do it all the time (including me) and it’s delicious. All done in the slow cooker, the flavors develop nicely. Serve with pasta, rice, or anything you like. It’s really flexible and will freeze well too if you wanted to make batches.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Yield: 2 – 4 Persons

Ingredients

2 (14.5 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1/2 can (the crushed tomatoes can) of water
1 pound plus Italian Sausage
a large handful of FRESH chopped basil
a large handful of chopped fresh parsley
1/2 a chopped red bell pepper (green is too bitter)
1/2 a large head of fresh garlic – smash the cloves and take off the skin- give it a couple of “dices” – throw in the pot
fresh ground black pepper over all
salt (to taste)
dried red pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of THYME
1 teaspoon of sugar (cuts the acid)

Note: For the sausage, I like hot -not sweet, as it really adds flavor to your sauce.

Instructions

1. Throw all the ingredients in to the crock pot EXCEPT the Italian sausage and set to LOW.

2. Chop and dice the Italian sausage into 2 inch pieces  and brown in a pan. Add a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of WATER to the sausage and cook on a medium heat. Do not add any oil. When it’s done – the pan will be brown and dry. Transfer the sausage to the crock pot. Then add about a quarter cup of water to deglaze the pan and then put THAT liquid in the crock pot also.

3. Cook on low for about 6 hours. If at any time you feel the sauce is not thick enough take the lid off the pot for about an hour.

4. This sauce is best eaten the following day, so if you have the time, do as follows, otherwise you can serve as normal once cooked.

Refrigerate over night. Next day, around noon, plug in the crock pot on HIGH for about an hour -than adjust to LOW, and let it simmer until dinner time. Serve with any RIBBED pasta, like Penne or mostaciolli (with ribs) it holds the sauce better – and don’t over cook “al dente” please

This is best with grated fresh ROMANO cheese…not Parmesan – and some good crunchy bread for dipping and a bottle of red wine!

You can also freeze the sauce in batches if you wish. Simply follow the instructions at point 4 when you want to serve.

We’d love to hear from you and what you thought of our post. Did you make any changes or add some other goodies? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!

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Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

6 hrs

Total Time

6 hrs 10 mins

 

Servings: 2 - 4 Persons

Ingredients

• 2 oz cans of crushed tomatoes 14.5
• 1 can tomato paste
• appr 1/2 can of water the crushed tomatoes can
• 1 pound plus Italian Sausage
• a large handful of FRESH chopped basil
• a large handful of chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 a chopped red bell pepper green is too bitter
• 1/2 cloves a large head of fresh garlic - smash the and take off the skin- give it a couple of "dices" - throw in the pot
• fresh ground black pepper over all
• salt to taste
• dried red pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon of THYME
• teaspoon of sugar cuts the acid

Instructions

1. Throw all the ingredients in to the crock pot EXCEPT the Italian sausage and set to LOW.
2. Chop and dice the Italian sausage into 2 inch pieces and brown in a pan. Add a 1/4 to 1/2 inch of WATER to the sausage and cook on a medium heat. Do not add any oil. When it's done - the pan will be brown and dry. Transfer the sausage to the crock pot. Then add about a quarter cup of water to de -glaze the pan and then put THAT liquid in the crock pot also.
3. Cook on low for about 6 hours. If at any time you feel the sauce is not thick enough take the lid off the pot for about an hour.
4. This sauce is best eaten the following day, so if you have the time, do as follows, otherwise you can serve as normal once cooked.
5. Refrigerate over night. Next day, around noon, plug in the crock pot on HIGH for about an hour -than adjust to LOW, and let it simmer until dinner time. Serve with any RIBBED pasta, like Penne or mostaciolli (with ribs) it holds the sauce better - and don't over cook "al dente" please
6. This is best with grated fresh ROMANO cheese...not Parmesan - and some good crunchy bread for dipping and a bottle of red wine!
7. You can also freeze the sauce in batches if you wish. Simply follow the instructions at point 4 when you want to serve.