- In today's video, we are making slow-cooker tomato sauce.
With just a few basic ingredients,
the slow cooker is going to do all the work,
and you can use this sauce in your favorite recipes,
whether it's pizza, spaghetti and meatballs.
Whatever it is, it's the same.
It's gonna be so good,
and you get to control the ingredients that go in it,
and I wanna give you lots of options
of things to swap and omit to make your sauce the best ever.
Today, I'm gonna be using crushed tomatoes.
You can use tomato sauce,
like the kind that you buy in a can, which is flavorless,
but you can use seasonings on there,
but I like crushed tomatoes
because it's somewhere in between chunky tomato sauce
and that very smooth sauce,
and I feel like it yields the best texture, but again,
if you don't have crushed and you have diced tomatoes
or whole tomatoes in a can, you can use those, too.
Using diced tomatoes is going to give you
that chunkier tomato sauce or marinara sauce texture.
Sometimes I use one can of diced tomatoes
and another can of crushed or sauce,
just to give a little bit of texture on my tomato sauce.
In the bowl of my slow cooker,
I'm going add my crushed tomatoes.
And these tomatoes are unseasoned.
They are just plain.
So we're gonna do that.
The basics, tomatoes.
After that, we have a lot of options
based on what kind of marinara sauce or tomato sauce
do you like?
Now, I do have some chopped onions, whether...
this is a fresh onion,
but you can use frozen or omit it completely,
and if you don't have any, maybe onion powder, too.
These are just going to add seasoning to your sauce.
So we're going to add those to the slow cooker.
Now, the onions are going to cook and get softened up
in the sauce, so they're not going to be crispy
or have any texture.
I also like garlic in my tomato sauce.
So I have some crushed garlic in here,
but if you don't have fresh garlic or garlic cloves
or diced, use garlic powder.
And, of course, seasoning.
Now, the basic recipe is any kind of Italian seasoning,
or basil and oregano works here.
Really, again, I just want to show you the flexibility
of having a basic recipe for your family
that you can utilize in a lot of stuff
and not have to run to the store because you don't have any.
So I'm using Italian seasoning in here.
I do like to add a little bit of salt to my sauce.
Not a lot, but just enough to seasoning.
And I'm from Spain,
so I do like to add the tiniest bit of olive oil.
This is super optional, guys,
but it kinda reminds me of home.
Now, a very important thing.
A lot of people ask whether they should use sugar
in their tomato sauce.
My grandmother used a tiniest bit,
not like some of the internet recipes that I've seen
that has like a tablespoon or two or even more.
I literally like to use maybe half a teaspoon,
just to cut down on the acidity.
And a little bit of sugar,
this is a lot of sauce,
so it's not going to add a lot of added sugar,
but I do feel that cooking it slow with a bit of sugar
does cut some of the acidity from the tomatoes.
One of the greatest things
about making your own tomato sauce
is that if you have picky eaters at home,
and you're always wondering, how can I add more nutrition
for every meal without having to do a ton of work
hiding veggies in their food
is that this is a great vessel to put in things
like a grated carrot, or you can grate a zucchini
and throw it in the sauce.
It's gonna cook down, and it'll be barely noticeable,
but it's also a great way to add added nutrition.
Now, if you struggle with picky eaters,
I do have a link below this video,
giving you printables and tips
and a little mini free e-course that you can take
on how to make simple changes to make mealtimes better,
so make sure to check that out,
as well as the printed recipe
and all the measurements for this.
But basically, all you got is tomato,
your seasoning, a few basic things,
and we're gonna give it a stir.
Now, the finer you chop your onions,
the less noticeable they'll be,
but they're gonna soften up again
and incorporate into the sauce.
We're gonna cover our slow cooker and cook it on high
for about three hours and come back, and our sauce is ready.
Okay, so after two and a half hours,
our sauce looks really good.
Smells great in here.
And I wanna show you what it looks like and how I store it.
So first, let me give you a close-up, so you can see.
As you can see, the tomato sauce has really thickened up
by just sitting there.
The onions, they're barely noticeable,
but they're in there, adding tons of flavor,
and they're cooked down, so this is a perfect sauce
that I can use in tons of recipes.
I'll give you some to get started
right below this video too, so don't worry about that.
What I like to do is take canning jars
or any container that you usually would store.
I have one of handy helpers right here
that I use in canning.
I have a video on how to can salsa
because it's super, super good,
so I that's why I usually use it for.
But I simply take a ladle, move some over into my jar,
and I store these jars in my fridge for about a week or so.
If you are comfortable freezing glass,
make sure to leave some room for expansion at the top,
and then you can keep tomato sauce in your freezer
for I would say two months, tops.
I just don't like to keep glass in there for any longer,
because it's really easy to have freezer accidents
for when you're trying to get stuff out.
So I am gonna be making stuffed spaghetti squash
with lasagna.
I'll also link that video right here.
It's one of my family's favorite recipes,
and I just wanted to make the sauce for it
and share that tip with you.
Again, super simple to make in your slow cooker.
This is literally a set-it-and-forget-it recipe.
And once the sauce is fully cooled down,
you can then stick it in your fridge
or use it right out of the Crock-Pot
for your favorite recipes.
Be sure to click the links
right below the video for a sample meal plan,
so you can use easy recipes like this throughout the week.
And hit that red Subscribe button.
A new video comes out every single week.
See you next time.