Today I’m admitting to a little hypocrisy.
Well, sort of.
If you’ve followed this blog for even five minutes, you know tomato sauce isn’t my favorite. I like some Italian dishes in moderation, but overall it’s my least-loved cuisine and most tomato sauces don’t do it for me—except for a light smear on pizza. Given the choice, I’d still pick white pizza every time.
Pizza sauce thickness and spread are a recurring debate in our house.
A few years ago I tried this original tomato sauce recipe and was surprised to love it. It tastes simple, fresh and most importantly, light—qualities I find missing from many other sauces, which often feel too heavy or acidic. Pasta doesn’t sway me much either, so consider me an Italian-food skeptic: an Italian’s worst nightmare, likely the same for his mother and grandmother.
Yes, that’s a bottle of Bulleit bourbon in the background. Don’t judge—it was a Monday.
I’m lucky my husband—an Irishman who doesn’t want tomato sauce every day—fell for this one too. He actually liked it more than I did, which doesn’t mean much after five years of me serving jarred marinara more often than I’d admit. Still, it felt like a win.
The original stovetop recipe is nearly perfect, but it takes about 45 minutes to prepare, which is mostly passive time. I wanted a way to make a large, hands-off batch so I could stop buying jars. After a few trials to balance the liquid from canned tomatoes and the quirks of slow cooker cooking, I arrived at this version: our favorite crockpot tomato sauce. I make it once or twice a month, freeze portions, and rotate through it until I crave it again.
Such is my life.
Favorite Crockpot Tomato Sauce
4
to 6
8 hrs
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Ingredients
- 4 (28 ounce) cans of whole, peeled tomatoes
- 2 sweet onionsends removed, peeled and sliced in half
- 4 garlic clovesminced
- 6 tablespoons unsalted buttercut into pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
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Drain 2 cans of tomatoes, reserving the juice if you prefer; it’s not required for this recipe.
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Add the drained tomatoes, the remaining 2 cans (juice and all), the onion, garlic and butter to the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours, stirring occasionally if you like. The tomatoes will break down; near the end use a potato masher to crush them further. You can remove the onion if you prefer a smoother sauce, or leave it in—either works. Season with salt and pepper and adjust to taste. Optional: add dried oregano or basil. Use on pasta, pizza, casseroles, and more. This yields a simple, fresh-tasting tomato sauce—feel free to customize it.
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Optional: stir in 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese for a rich finish.
Notes
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Ever wonder what the end of a photoshoot looks like when I’m hungry? That’s it—this photo pretty much sums it up.