This simple crockpot tomato sauce takes little effort. It is easy to fill the crockpot up with fresh tomatoes, onions, and garlic and let it simmer all day.
This crockpot tomato sauce is something that I rely on often during the peak of the tomato harvest. While the majority of the tomatoes from the garden are preserved in large batches for winter food storage. The crockpot is perfect for making smaller batch for fresh eating.
It takes little effort to fill the crockpot up with all the ingredients and let it simmer all day. You can even break up the process over a few days if you are crunched for time by cooling and refrigerating the sauce part way through and start cooking again the next day.
Tips for Making Crockpot Tomato Sauce
Select meaty, plumb or paste tomatoes for a thick and flavorful sauce. My favorites are Roma, San Marzano, Amish Paste, and Juliet. Paste tomatoes have very little water content. You can still use other types of tomatoes, but it will take longer for the sauce to thicken.
Cooking the tomatoes with the skins and seeds helps to thicken the sauce with the fruit’s natural pectin.
Run the cooked sauce through a food strainer to remove seeds and skins. After the sauce has simmered for a while and the ingredients have softened, run though a through a food strainer or food mill to remove skins, seeds, and to smooth out the sauce. If you don’t mind the seeds and skins, you can use an immersion hand blender to smooth out your sauce.
Using fresh herbs: I like using fresh herbs because they are readily available from the garden during the summer, but dried herbs are better for slow cooking because the flavor doesn’t diminish from cooking. If you are using fresh herbs, add extra at the end of the cooking time.
This homemade crockpot tomato sauce pairs perfectly with Ricotta Gnocchi, Homemade Egg Noodles, Zucchini Lasagna, spiralized veggies, spaghetti squash, and as a pizza topping. Since you are not canning this tomato sauce, feel free to add other ingredients such as precooked mushrooms, green peppers, sausage, or meatballs.
Crockpot Tomato Sauce with Fresh Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 5-6 pounds paste tomatoes
- 1/4 cup red cooking wine optional
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 medium onion roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 3 tablespoons fresh, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 teaspoon fresh, chopped
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- honey to sweeten if needed
Instructions
- Prepare your tomatoes by washing in plain water. Cut them in half or quarters and add to the crockpot. Add the garlic, onion, carrot, and herbs. Drizzle the wine and olive oil. Cover and turn crockpot to low and cook for 2-4 hours stirring occasionally.
- After the sauce has simmered for a while and tomatoes have released their juices and the vegetables are soft, turn off crockpot and allow the sauce to cool.
- Run the cooled tomato sauce through a Food Strainer or Food Mill to remove skins, seeds, and to smooth out the sauce. If you are crunched for time, you can pop the cooled sauce into the refrigerator and begin again the following day.
- Return the strained tomato sauce to the crockpot to cook down further to thicken the sauce. Turn the crockpot to low and vent the cover so excess moisture evaporates. Cook until your desired thickness, 4-6 hours or longer, stirring occasionally.
- Once the tomato sauce is nice and thick, taste it. Add salt and pepper and stir to mix in. Taste again. Adjust seasoning if needed. If the flavor is sharp and acidic, add a little honey and taste again.
- If you are including additional ingredients such as mushrooms, green peppers, sausage, or meatballs, precook these and add to the crockpot and cook on low for an additional 1-2 hours.
Nutrition
Depending on the water content of your tomatoes and how long you cook down the tomato sauce, this will yield around 4 cups. Store extra in the fridge for leftovers for 2-3 days or freeze for a later meal.
This is not a safe canning recipe: If you have a lot of tomatoes and want to can them for food storage, check out this safe canning recipe: Seasoned Tomato Sauce Recipe for Home Canning
You May Also Like:
- Zucchini Garlic Bites
- Garden Fresh Zucchini Lasagna
- Auntie’s Ricotta Gnocchi
- Mason Jar Italian Salad Dressing
- Fresh Summer Tomato Sauce
- How to Can Diced or Crushed Tomatoes
Mary says
How do you remove the skins and seeds by straining them without losing the meat of the tomatoes?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Mary, The meat of the tomatoes turns to liquid with cooked.
Pat says
How long can you freeze this sauce
©Rachel Arsenault says
Pat, You can store in the freezer for up to about a year.
Amy Okel says
If adding meat to the sauce would you add one pound or two? Excited to try hins!
©Rachel Arsenault says
Amy, I usually cook up about one pound of ground beef or sausage for this recipe. Cook the meat first, add it to the sauce at the end of the cooking time, and simmer in the crock pot on low for an additional 1-2 hours.
Kat says
What size crockpot did you use?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Kat, I use a 6-quart crockpot.
Em says
Would adding this to a food processor after cooking be okay – if I don’t have an emulsion thing? Thank you!
©Rachel Arsenault says
Em, Sure, use a food processor or blender to smooth out the sauce.
Shelly says
We really enjoyed this recipe! Nice to swith up the use for the bountiful tomatos gifted to us. Will definitely make again 🙂
Debora Cole says
Why is this sauce not suitable for canning?
©Rachel Arsenault says
This recipe for Crockpot Tomato Sauce can be frozen, but it is not a recipe suitable for canning safely. Canning recipes are developed and tested in food labs to be sure the chemistry is suitable for shelf stable jars. Untested canning recipes could cause very serious food borne illness. You can learn more about canning tomatoes safely here: CSU Extension: Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products – 9.341
Jackie says
Great go to recipe for homemade sauce!
Sarah says
What does 5-6 pounds paste tomato mean? I’m sorry I’m just confused by that. Do I need to do something besides cutting my tomatoes up?
©Rachel Arsenault says
Sarah, Paste tomatoes are explained with examples under “Tips for Making Crockpot Tomato Sauce.” Select meaty, plumb or paste tomatoes for a thick and flavorful sauce. My favorites are Roma, San Marzano, Amish Paste, and Juliet. Paste tomatoes have very little water content. You can still use other types of tomatoes, but it will take longer for the sauce to thicken.
Cheryl Beaudoin says
Very easy to make recipe! A few ingredients I left out by choice or didn’t have. Still came out great. Crock pot all night on low. pushed some through strainer in morning but didn’t remove anything. Forwarding a photo for you to see… Will make another crock pot full tonight! I might go to store and add slices of pepperoni stick for different flavor. Proscuitto is good also to change flavor.. Thank you for sharing… This worked well for us!