Crockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
This crockpot marinara sauce with fresh tomatoes turns a pile of ripe summer tomatoes into a thick, sweet sauce with almost no work. The slow cooker does the long simmer while you do something else. Freeze it in jars and you have pasta dinners ready all winter.
Crockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Course: Main CourseDifficulty: Easy8
servings30
minutes8
hoursRipe tomatoes, garlic and onion cook down slowly into a thick marinara. Blend it for a smooth sauce or leave it chunky.
Ingredients
5 lb ripe Roma or plum tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 parmesan rind (optional)
1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato.
- Drop the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, until the skins split. Move them to the ice water.
- Peel off the skins, cut out the cores and roughly chop the tomatoes. Keep all the juice.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and juice to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Stir in the olive oil, onion, garlic, tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper, oregano and pepper flakes. Tuck in the parmesan rind if using.
- Cook with the lid slightly ajar on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours, stirring once or twice. The sauce should look thick and darker in color.
- If the sauce is still thin, cook with the lid off on HIGH for the last hour.
- Remove the parmesan rind. Stir in the basil and balsamic vinegar.
- Use an immersion blender to make it smooth, or mash it with a potato masher for a rustic sauce.
- Taste and adjust the salt and sugar before using.
Notes
- Use a mix of tomato varieties for more flavor. Skip the peeling if you plan to blend the sauce very smooth, although skins can leave flecks. Cool and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for 6 months in jars with an inch of headspace. Toss it with pasta, spoon over chicken parmesan or use it as pizza sauce.
Why fresh tomatoes need a long, slow cook
Fresh tomatoes are mostly water. To get a real marinara, that water has to cook off, and the sugars and acids have to concentrate. A slow cooker with the lid cracked does this at a low steady pace without scorching.
The result is a sauce with depth and sweetness that canned tomatoes cannot quite match in peak season. You still get the convenience of canned, because you only prep once and walk away.
Making a big batch once and freezing it gives you a head start on dinner for months, especially when tomatoes are cheap and a pile of them is going soft on the counter.
Picking tomatoes and seasoning
Roma tomatoes: They are meaty with fewer seeds and less juice, so the sauce thickens faster. Any ripe, fragrant tomato works, though, including the bruised ones at the farm stand.
Tomato paste: It is cheating a little, but it adds body and a deeper red color, especially if your tomatoes are watery.
Sugar: Just a spoonful rounds off the acidity. Taste your tomatoes first, and add less if they are very sweet.
Parmesan rind: It melts into the sauce and adds a rich edge. Save rinds in the freezer for this.
Balsamic vinegar: A splash at the end brightens everything after the long cook.
Onion and garlic: Chop them small so they melt into the sauce. Cook-down time is long enough that nothing stays chunky.
Tips for thick, bright marinara
Leave the lid ajar: Prop it open with a wooden spoon handle so steam escapes. A sealed lid keeps the sauce thin and watery.
Add basil at the end: Fresh basil cooked all day turns dark and loses its flavor. Stir it in after the heat is off.
Most common mistake: Not cooking it long enough. If the sauce looks pink and loose, give it another hour with the lid off, since thick sauce is worth the wait.
Taste at the five hour mark: Add salt or a little more sugar then, so you still have time to fix the balance before the sauce finishes.
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Swaps and variations
For a meaty version, brown a pound of Italian sausage or ground beef and stir it in at the start, cooking it to 160°F in the sauce. Add a diced carrot for natural sweetness, or a handful of roasted red peppers for smokiness.
One swap that does not work is dried basil in place of fresh at the end. It tastes dusty and does not give that fresh aroma.
Freezing in an ice cube tray gives you tiny portions for pizza bagels or a spoonful in soups.
What to serve with marinara
Toss it with spaghetti or rigatoni and finish with grated parmesan. It is also good over baked polenta, as a dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks or spread on a pizza crust.
For a quick weeknight dinner, boil spaghetti, warm a few cups of sauce with a spoonful of pasta water and toss it all together in the pan. Fresh parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil finish the plate.
Spoon extra over meatballs for a sub, or use it as the base of a baked ziti or lasagna.
Storing, freezing and reheating
Refrigerate in sealed jars for up to 5 days. For the freezer, leave an inch of headspace in each jar or use freezer bags laid flat, and it will keep for 6 months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until it bubbles lightly.
Small jars are best, since a half-pint thaws quickly and covers a single serving of pasta without waste.
Pin itCrockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes at a glance
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cooking time: 8 hours
- Servings: 8 servings
- Ingredients: 13, led by ripe Roma or plum tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, yellow onion, garlic
Tips for Crockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Use a mix of tomato varieties for more flavor. Skip the peeling if you plan to blend the sauce very smooth, although skins can leave flecks. Cool and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for 6 months in jars with an inch of headspace. Toss it with pasta, spoon over chicken parmesan or use it as pizza sauce.
Crockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes FAQ
How long does Crockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes take?
Crockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes takes 8 hours of cooking after 30 minutes of prep.
How many people does Crockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes serve?
This recipe makes 8 servings.
What do I need to make Crockpot Marinara Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes?
13 ingredients, led by ripe Roma or plum tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, yellow onion, garlic. Amounts are in the recipe card above.
