Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce for Now and Later
Pasta sauce is one of those basic foods that you can do so many things with. I prefer to make it in the slow cooker, with a few extras in it, so I can sit back and enjoy my day. Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce is awesome because not only can you eat it now, but you can also freeze it in plastic zippy bags for later meals, making it a perfect timesaver recipe. You can cook chicken in it, or meatballs, even Italian sausage, for extra flavor, then serve it on any night you need a quick meal.
Wholesome Ingredients in Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce
When I make Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce, I start with home canned or crushed tomatoes. They give the sauce a wonderful fresh flavor that you can’t get from jarred pasta sauce. Oregano, parsley, basil, and marjoram all add to the flavor, giving the Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce multiple levels of yumminess. I always add a dash of red pepper flakes just to bump up the flavor. It doesn’t make the sauce hot, but gives it a bit of a bite. Fresh garlic brings in the classic Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce flavor, and as it cooks in the slow cooker, it melts into the tomatoes. As an extra bonus in this pot, I added chicken that I cut into bite sized pieces as well as some shitake mushrooms I had in the fridge. After about 8 hours in the slow cooker, I had an amazing dinner that fed my family plus I had enough for a big bag in the freezer!
- 3 qts (or large cans) tomatoes
- 1 bulb garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 t dried oregano
- 1 t dried parsley
- ½ t dried basil
- ½ t dried marjoram
- ½ t red pepper flakes
- 2 chicken breasts, bones and skin removed, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 pkg shitake mushrooms, diced
Place all ingredients in a 5-6 quart slow cooker.
Cover and set to low.
Allow to simmer about 8 hours.
Serve over your favorite pasta.
Freezing Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce
It’s so easy to freeze Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce. Once it has simmered all day, I allow it to cool completely, then package it in freezer plastic zippy bags that are labeled with contents and date. Into the freezer they go until it’s time to thaw them again. All you need to do is thaw and simmer until hot, then place over your favorite pasta. It’s a fast dinner that is ready in the amount of time it takes to boil the pasta and make some garlic bread. If you are looking for a healthy meal that’s ready at the end of your long day, make some Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce!
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