Slow cooker marinara sauce
A big batch of deep, sweet, garlicky tomato sauce that simmers itself all day, enough for dinner tonight and a jar or two for the freezer.
- 510 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 8
- About $1.55 a serving
- 430 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 8 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans crushed tomatoes, two 28-oz cans
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 lb 8 oz gluten-free pasta, two 12-oz boxes; regular spaghetti works too
- ½ cup grated parmesan, to serve (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1½ tbsp salt, divided
- 2 bay leaves
Each serving has about 430 calories, 10 g protein, 86 g carbs and 7 g fat, and costs about $1.55 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onion and the garlic.
Finely chop. Finely chopping means cutting food into small pieces, a little bigger than minced, about the size of a lentil. Small pieces spread their flavor through the dish and cook quickly.
How you’ll know: Nothing is bigger than a lentil, and the pile looks like confetti rather than paste.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Put the onion, garlic, oil, tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, pepper flakes, sugar, 1½ teaspoons salt and the bay leaves in a slow cooker and stir.
Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, until the sauce is darker and the onion is completely soft.
Timer: 450 min
Fish out the bay leaves, taste, and add salt if it needs it. Mash the onions with a potato masher for a smoother sauce.
Dolly’s tip: The sugar isn’t for sweetness. It just softens the tinny edge canned tomatoes can have.Bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt over high heat and cook the pasta until , tasting 2 minutes early.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Al dente. Al dente is Italian for “to the tooth”: pasta cooked until tender but with a slight firm bite in the center. It holds up in sauce and keeps softening a little after you drain it.
How you’ll know: Bite a piece a minute before the package time: tender, with a slight firm bite in the middle and no crunch.
High heatTimer: 10 min
the pasta and it with enough sauce to coat, then serve with parmesan.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Cook only the pasta you need tonight, about 3 ounces a person, and freeze the extra sauce flat in zip-top bags for up to 3 months.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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Vegetarian dinners ›Pantry dinners ›What to make with pasta and parmesan ›What to make with canned tomatoes and parmesan ›What to make with canned tomatoes and pasta ›