Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

5 from 38 votes

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

If you're looking for an easy slow-cooker spaghetti sauce recipe that your whole family will love, look no further. My flavorful sauce is perfect for all your pasta dishes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time6

Total Time6 10

Course: Entree, Sauce

Cuisine: Italian - American

Servings:

Calories: 119kcal

Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Ingredients

56 oz tomato puree
56 oz crushed tomatoes
12 oz tomato paste
2-4 beef marrow bones depending upon size
1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon dry basil
2 teaspoon dry parsley
2 teaspoon dry oregano
2 bay leaves
½ cup sweet onion finely chopped
2 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tablespoon fresh basil chopped

Instructions

Set the slow cooker temperature to the high setting. When it heats up add the olive oil and chopped garlic to the cooker.
Stir the garlic into the olive oil and let it cook for 2 minutes. Don't let it burn.
Add the tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste to the cooker and stir to combine.
Add the seasonings and chopped onions to the slow cooker and stir to make sure all ingredients are fully combined.
Add the beef marrow bones to the crock pot making sure they are fully submerged in the sauce.
Cover and turn down the temperature to the low setting to cook the tomato sauce for 6-8 hours. Check the sauce during the process and stir every hour or so.
*Depending on your schedule, letting the sauce cook longer will yield a richer better tasting sauce.
After 6 hours, you will want to use a spoon or ladle to remove any grease that may have risen to the top. You don’t want to remove all of it because there's a lot of flavor in the fat, but it shouldn't be overly greasy.
Remove the bone marrow bones from the sauce and discard. Stir the sauce thoroughly making sure all the bone marrow has combined with the sauce
Cover and allow the sauce to continue cooking on the keep-warm setting until ready to serve.

Notes

Do I have to use marrow bones?

No, you do not. You can make this sauce completely vegetarian if you like. The marrow bones add an incredible amount of flavor to the sauce, but they can be left out.

If you prefer a meaty spaghetti sauce, you can add beef short ribs, pork ribs, or Italian sausage to the sauce. Any of those meat products will also add great flavor to the simmering tomato sauce. You can also make a regular meat sauce by adding ground beef, ground pork, or ground chicken to the mixture.

What type of tomatoes are best?

For my slow cooker spaghetti sauce, I used a combination of tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, and tomato paste. But you can use your favorite canned tomato products to make this recipe. I would not suggest using fresh tomatoes to make my homemade spaghetti sauce unless that is something you have tried before.

Whole tomatoes in puree or juice can be used in place of the crushed tomatoes and puree. You can puree them with an immersion blender or crush them by hand. If you do use whole tomatoes, my favorite is San Marzano from Italy. They are less acidic than most tomatoes and have a rich flavor.

For this type of sauce, dried herbs are best. You can use fresh herbs, but they would be added at the end of the cooking process. I like to add fresh basil to my homemade sauce when it's finished cooking to add a boost of flavor.

*Feel free to substitute your favorite Italian seasoning blend for the dry spices.

Nutrition