Slow Cooker Marinara
I’ve made a few variations of red sauce for Budget Bytes, but this Slow Cooker Marinara is definitely the best of the best. I don’t like using my slow cooker for everything, but for a few things it works complete magic (beans and meat, for instance). The magical long, slow cooking process caramelizes the sugars in the tomatoes and creates a depth of flavor that can’t be matched!
Plus, what more could you ask for than to just throw some ingredients in a pot, forget about it for 8 hours, and then come back to a rich, delicious red sauce?
The price of this Slow Cooker Marinara will depend greatly on what you’re able to get your canned tomatoes for. When I made the original (non-slow cooker) version of this recipe a couple of years ago, I paid almost half what I paid for canned tomatoes today. So, the price this time around was about the same as the store bought jarred equivalent, but hey, I made it myself and it’s so much tastier!
Since this recipe makes quite a bit, I pour the extra into freezer bags and freeze it for up to about 4 months. Make sure you cool it down in the refrigerator before pouring into freezer bags, though ;)
Slow Cooker Marinara
Slow Cooker Marinara
Ingredients
- 2 28oz. cans crushed tomatoes ($3.47)
- 6 oz tomato paste ($0.56)
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.54)
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced ($0.10)
- 2 whole bay leaves ($0.10)
- 1 Tbsp dried basil ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp dried oregano ($0.07)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.09)
- salt and pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Cut the onion into a small dice and mince the garlic (or use pre-minced garlic from a jar). Place both in the slow cooker. Also add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, bay leaves, basil, oregano, and freshly cracked pepper. Stir well to combine. If your slow cooker tends to lose moisture and dry things out, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water as well.
- Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.
- Remove the lid on the slow cooker, stir the sauce, and remove the bay leaves. Season with salt to taste (I added about 1 tsp). Enjoy over your favorite pasta!
Now how easy was that? You can also try adding other ingredients like sliced mushrooms, Italian sausage (cook separately and add to the sauce after it has cooked), crushed red pepper, olive oil (for a richer sauce), bell peppers… the sky is the limit.
The first time I made this sauce, I served it over homemade gnocchi and almost died and went to heaven.
Step By Step Photos
Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Place them in the slow cooker.
Add two (28 oz.) cans of crushed tomatoes and one (6 oz.) can of tomato paste. Crush tomates are the perfect texture for marinara sauce. They aren’t as chunky as diced tomatoes and not as silky/pureed as “tomato sauce”.
Also add the balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, basil, oregano, bay leaves, and cracked black pepper.
Stir everything really well (try to mix in that tomato paste). Secure the lid and cook on low for eight hours. My slow cooker retains moisture really well so I didn’t need any extra water. But, if yours lets a lot of steam escape or you notice that food usually dries out in your slow cooker, you’ll want to add a little water (up to one cup).
Eight hours later, it looks a little something like this. You can see how the color went from a bright, vibrant red to a deep dark maroon. That’s how you know the sugars have caramelized and created that nice deep flavor.
Give it a good stir, remove the bay leaves, and it’s ready to go!
If you plan on freezing some of your Slow Cooker Marinara, make sure to fully cool it in the refrigerator before freezing. I usually refrigerate mine over night and then divide and freeze the next day.
Stay tuned tomorrow to see the awesome pasta dish that I made with this delicious sauce!
This is my go to “red” sauce recipe. I usually add Italian sausage to the sause and let it go. The sausages end up soft and yummy & give you so many more uses for this sauce. Over pasta, sausages on rolls, lasagna sauce……… Endless possibilities. I love this recipe and this site! Thanks you Beth, your a culinary genius!!
Instead of adding water if you need moisture, I would recommend using V8 juice original flavor. It adds such a wonderful depth to my tomato-based recipes, that I always use some.
Love it! Thanks! I always add v8 to my chili, but never thought to add it to my marinara. :)
Thank you for the great recipe. It’s great as is, but I always add a healthy squirt of sriracha to the sauce to give it a bit of a kick.
I think this recipe looks amazing, and can’t wait to try it; however, I wanted to let you know that the recipe calculator widget does not appear to be functioning correctly for the first ingredient (the crushed tomatoes) For example, the recipe for six cups calls for two 28-oz. cans of crushed tomatoes, and the recipe for 12 cups, which should simply double that and call for four 28-oz. cans, calls instead for four 56-oz cans! It’s doubling both the number of cans, and the ounces. Everything else appears correct.
Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks! I’ll fix that. :)
Has anybody tried waterbath canning this recipe? I’m guessing the small amount of vinegar added wouldn’t be enough to up the acidity for safe canning. I have my own recipe but it just wasn’t hitting the spot the last batch I made, so I think I might give this a try. Maybe try canning it by adding lemon juice to the jars to be safe.
Made this tonight! Delicious! I am also storing in freezer. There are only two of us so there are PLENTY of leftovers!
What type of container do you freeze this in? How long does it keep in the freezer?
I like to use either freezer bags (quart size is a good size for me based on how much of the sauce I like to thaw and use at a time) or those reusable Ziploc or Gladware containers. It will last at least three months in the freezer. It doesn’t “go bad” the quality just slowly degrades over time.
You can also freeze in old glass jars, recycled. I keep many sizes of jars and use for freezing sauce. Just remember to leave a little bit of room for expansion when it freezes.
I’d like to try this, but have a ton of fresh tomatoes to use from my garden. Could I substitute for the canned crushed tomatoes?
This marinara is delicioso! I put it in the slow cooker at 6 AM and by 4 PM I finally had time to taste it. I was busy cleaning up from making Italian bread and ricotta gnocchis (resting in the fridge until my husband gets home). I will make a double batch of this next time and can it. I got BOGOs on the crushed tomatoes and paste for the marinara, super-sale on eggs and flour after Hurricane Irma, and everything else was on hand, so it was a very inexpensive day of cooking.
Have you tried this in the Instant Pot yet? This is my go-to marinara recipe, just wondering if it would work in the IP! :)
I haven’t yet! :)
The IP doesn’t work so well for this recipe – the “More” heat setting barely gets the top over 175. I would love to see a pressure cook version.
yes it works perfectly in the IP, just don’t add the water. I’m just about to make another batch
How long did you cook this in the IP?
I just made this and it turned out delicious! I’ve tried 2 different “easy” marinara sauces that were too acidic for me/not my preference. This is by far easier…and tastes very close to my italian mother in law’s sauce! I got a late start so i cooked on high for 6 hours stirring every so often. I had a couple diced tomatoes cans sitting in the cupboard so i just blended everything up at the end for a smooth sauce. I will definitely make this again! I’m thinking I’ll use the leftovers tomorrow for a chili base and further clean out my pantry! Thank you for the recipe beth!
I added a whole green pepper and boy was that was a mistake! I added 1 more TBL spoon of vinegar and still WAY too sweet. I eventually added another can of tomato paste and let it cook another 2 hours. Now it tastes wonderful! Yes, I had to add some extra spices but it turned out great! Will never buy pasta sauce again.
I had one question, is it shelf stable in a mason jar or do I have to freeze it? I’m freezing it for now because I don’t want it to go bad. Thanks for the great recipe!
You definitely have to freeze it. :)
This the second time I’ve made this sauce and it is a family favorite! Thanks for indicating that the sauce lasts 4 months in the freezer. How long would you say it lasts in the fridge?
Probably only 4-5 days in the fridge.
I made this today almost exactly as written, with the addition of a can of whole, peeled tomatoes. It is really incredible and I’m sure I’ll make it again often. I’ve been making it on the stovetop for years. I’ve had scorching issues, and splattering all over the stove. This really was foolproof! Thank you!
OK-I didn’t follow exactly. I sautéed the holy trinity of Italian cooking – carrots, celery and onion after finely chopping in my food processor and added one link of Italian sausage. BUT otherwise I followed exactly and came out with the best sauce I have made in years. At this point, I’ve made this several times and went through my balsamic vinegar so had to substitute white wine vinegar and that worked fine. Will not even try another marinara recipe. This is delicious.