Homemade Marinara Sauce (Slow Cooker)
My favorite marinara sauce recipe made in the slow cooker. The secret to good marinara is using quality ingredients and slow cooking it until the sauce is perfect!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon of EACH: red pepper flakes dried parsley, AND dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 28-ounce cans San Marzano style tomatoes (diced, crushed, or whole to preference)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- 10-12 basil leaves torn
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions for 5-7 mediums until they turn translucent in color but do not allow the onions to brown. Add the garlic and let cook for another 30 seconds. Add the red pepper flakes, parsley, dried oregano, and thyme and allow the oils to bring out the natural flavors, about 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture into a 3-quart slow cooker or larger.
- If using whole tomatoes, place in a large bowl and crush with hands so they break down just a little bit. Add the tomatoes, sugar, bay leaf, basil, and salt and pepper to the slow cooker, give it a stir to combine the ingredients. Let the sauce cook on the low setting for 6-6 ½ hours.
Notes
- Allow the sauce to cool completely before storing. I stored mine in zip-top bags in the freezer. The sauce can be kept refrigerated for about 1 week and frozen for 3 months. I have not tried canning this sauce myself but do believe the recipe is suitable for canning.
