When I choose to make this Harvest Marinara Sauce Recipe depends on the weather.

Earlier this week the weather report said that we would have our first hard freeze of the season. Temperatures could dip below 35 degrees at night.  So I grabbed the nearest large bowl and went out and picked all the tomatoes — Big and small, red and green, all of them.

 There was a small volunteer basil which had been sheltered by the foliage of my largest tomato bush.  It hadn’t faded yet, so  I plucked it up and brought it in the house too.

Setting aside the green tomatoes for later use, I washed the red tomatoes, along with an onion, green bell pepper and some mushrooms. I canned a batch of green tomato and tomatillo salsa with the green tomatoes that was super delish. Find the Salsa Verde recipe here

I chopped up the veggies and tossed them in the  Crock Pot along with the spices, olive oil and a small can of tomato paste.

I always begin by adding the minimum amount of spice.  Like my Mom said, “You can always add more spice later, but you can’t take it out!”

The ingredients and preparation for this marinara sauce recipe are quite simple and very flexible.  The only ingredient that is mandatory is the tomatoes. 🙂  Keep in mind that whatever else you choose to put in the Crock Pot  is up to you and your taste buds.  My recipe is merely a guideline.

After the first 4 hours, I carefully pulsed the sauce 2 cups at a time in the blender so that it was smooth-ish, but was still a little chunky and then returned the entire batch to the Crock Pot to cook for at least 1 more hour.  (This is also when you will add the Parmesan and adjust the spices, if needed.  I didn’t use the Parmesan in this particular batch. I sprinkled it on top instead.)

The secret to this recipe is time.  It should cook 5-8 hours on high.  My experience is that the longer  you allow it to cook the better the flavors will bloom and strengthen.

 I served the marinara sauce over spaghetti squash  to 4 people at dinner. Then I put away 4, 2 cup containers of sauce.  The amount will be more or less depending on the amount of tomatoes in the pot!   Enjoy! -Laura

Harvest Marinara Recipe – Crockpot to Freezer

Laura Hickman

This fresh, simple and flavorful marinara sauce recipe will fill your home with an amazing aroma and then fill your freezer with sauce too! This recipe is very flexible add or subtract ingredient according to your personal taste.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine American

Servings 6 +Cups

Ingredients

  

• 1 Large onion chopped
• 1 bell pepper chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 4-8 cups cored and chopped tomatoes
• 1-2 tsp. salt
• 12-24 fresh basil leaves chopped
• 1-2 tsp. sugar
• 4-8 chopped garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup shredded fresh Parmesan cheese opt
• 1/4 cup olive oil.
• 1-2 tsp. oregano
• 1-2 T. Worcestershire sauce opt
• 1-2 T dried parsley
• 1-2 tsp. Italian herb mix

Instructions

 

• Place onion, bell pepper and mushrooms in slow cooker.
• Add tomatoes to fill Crockpot to just under the rim.
• Top vegetables with tomato paste, garlic, sugar, salt , spices, olive oil and Worcestershire.
• Cook on high for 4-5 hours. (Stirring after 2 hours)
• In 2 cup batches, pulse in blender to desired smoothness. (Probably no more than 30 seconds per batch.)
• Pour sauce back into Crockpot and add Parmesan, if using.
• Allow sauce to continue cooking for 1-3 more hours.
• Fill 2 cup freezer containers with sauce and allow to cool on counter for 20 minutes before placing freezer for later use.

Further Inspirations:

NY Times Classic Marinara

Spend with Pennies Marinara