Over the years, I have made many variations of pasta sauce, but Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce has to be one of my favorites. The tomatoes’ sugars caramelize during the long simmer, creating an unmatched flavor depth. What more can you ask than to throw some ingredients into a pot and forget about it for eight hours? Then, when you return, there is a delicious, rich homemade sauce. You can then divide the sauce and freeze it for quick weeknight meals.
Why make homemade SPAGHETTI sauce?
Premade pasta sauce is available for a meager price, so in many cases, I recommend buying a jar. Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce allows you to control the ingredients and quality of your sauce while keeping costs down.
What size slow cooker should I use?
This recipe yields about 2 quarts, so a slow cooker of 3 or more is recommended. It’s okay to have a fancy slow cooker. You can use a basic one with warm, low, and high functions. I find that slow cooker with thick ceramic inserts (or “crocks”) cook more evenly than those made with metal inserts.
Why add balsamic vinegar?
This recipe uses balsamic to give the sauce a subtle depth. The sauce can be robust initially but will mellow out with cooking. This recipe is still delicious if you don’t like balsamic or you don’t own any.
CAN I add meat to my food?
If you want a meat sauce that is easy and flavorful, check out my data-went-parsed= “1” href=”https://www.budgetbytes.com/the-best weeknight pasta sauce/.” For a quick and easy meat sauce, you can also try my Weeknight Sauce.
How to Freeze Pasta Sauce
This recipe yields about 7 cups. Divide the sauce into portions of two or three cups before freezing so that you can only take out what you need for each recipe. Then, transfer the sauce to freezer-safe containers and let it cool in the refrigerator. The sauce can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. However, this may vary depending on your freezer’s conditions. When you freeze quart-sized bags, they can be stacked in your freezer.
Ingredients
One yellow onion is only $0.32
Four cloves of garlic ($0.32)
2 28oz. Cans of crushed tomatoes (2.00 dollars)
1 6oz. Can tomato sauce (0.69)
1 Tbsp dried Basil ($0.30).
Oregano dried 1.5 tsp ($0.15)
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar ($0.03)
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.14)
Butter 4 tbsp ($0.40).
1 tsp. Salt (or according to taste)
Instructions
Cut the onion into small pieces and mince the garlic. Both should be placed in a slow cooker of 3 quarts or greater.
Add the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, Basil, oregano, and brown sugar to the slow cooker. Stir all ingredients together.
Put the lid on your slow cooker, and cook it on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
Add salt to your taste after cooking. Add more salt if necessary (I used 1 tsp). Use immediately, store in the fridge or freezer, and use later.
