Easy Crock Pot Red Sauce

This recipe was born of need. Our garden produces a lot of tomatoes starting in mid-July. They come fast and furious and it is impossible to eat them all before they spoil. This goes on for weeks. The joy of this method is that it cooks while your day goes by with minimal intervention. I often throw it together early in the morning before work. I have David turn it on around 10:00 a.m. and take care of the occasional stirrings. When I get home it’s just about done.

5-6 pounds of tomatoes (ex. San Marzano, Roma, Big Mama)
4 cloves garlic – diced – (less if you prefer, we love garlic)
1 medium chopped onion
1 teaspoon of dried basil or 2 tablespoons fresh
1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh
1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh
¼ teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 teaspoon fresh
2 tablespoons spaghetti seasoning (optional)
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt (optional)
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 bay leaf
Pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Wash tomatoes then cut tomatoes into quarters or halves and remove top core then toss into crockpot and add all other ingredients.
2. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours until tomatoes break down, stirring occasionally.
3. Mix well with an immersion blender.
4. Continue to cook with lid slightly ajar until desired thickness for about 2 hours.

The tomatoes listed above are good for sauce but as you will see from my crockpot picture, I throw in whatever I have on hand.  Spices can be increased/decreased to your taste.

 Enjoy!

The leftover sauce can be poured into freezer bags or freezer safe jars once cooled and stored in the freezer for future use.

~Kristine