Description
Rich, thick, and hearty, this slow cooker tomato sauce is perfect for chilly evenings. Let your slow cooker do the work!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cups (237 ml) sausage
- 2 ounces (57 g) tomato paste
- 1 cups (340 g) fire roasted tomatoes
- 3 cups (680 g) crushed tomatoes
- 0.5 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 0.5 tsp dried oregano
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 0.5 tsp Italian seasoning
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp pepper
- fresh basil
- fresh parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the sausage, breaking it into bite-sized pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides and no longer pink in the center, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Transfer the browned sausage to the slow cooker.
- Add the tomato paste, fire-roasted tomatoes, and crushed tomatoes to the slow cooker.
- Stir in the red pepper flakes, oregano, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Give everything a good stir so the sausage is evenly distributed throughout the sauce.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours; the long simmer will meld the flavors together.
- During the last 30 minutes, remove the bay leaves, taste the sauce, and adjust the salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes as needed.
- Stir in the fresh basil just before serving.
- Serve ladled over cooked pasta with freshly grated parmesan on top.
Notes
- For a deeper flavor, sauté the onions and garlic before adding them to the slow cooker.
- To thicken the sauce, simmer uncovered for the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
- Leftover sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months; allow to thaw completely before reheating.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 480 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Braising
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 800
- Fat: 20
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Unsaturated Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 30
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 15
- Cholesterol: 60