Make a flavorful marinara sauce in your slow cooker. This recipe makes a huge batch, enough for using all week or freezing for later. You won’t want to buy marinara sauce after making this! We use this for spaghetti pizza and more.
You can make just about any sauce in the slow cooker! We also make a meaty spaghetti sauce and veggie-packed spaghetti sauce in our slow cooker.
Why this recipe works
The flavorful sauce simmers all day without needing any extra attention. Cooking on low for eight hours will make enough for 12 servings or eight larger servings, depending on how much marinara sauce you like on your dishes.
This recipe is easy to add to the crockpot so you can start your day and tackle other tasks knowing dinner is handled.
How to make marinara sauce in the crock pot
Ingredients
- Crushed tomatoes -While you can certainly use and cook fresh tomatoes for this recipe, I prefer meals I can quickly prepare. In the interest of quick and easy, we’re using canned tomatoes in our recipe.
- Diced tomatoes – These will add texture to your sauce
- White onion – Dice your onion small if you have picky eaters.
- Garlic cloves – minced (add as much as you like! We love lots of garlic)
- Seasonings – Dried oregano, dried basil, salt, pepper, sugar, and onion powder.
Step by Step Directions
Step 1 – Add everything to a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir.
Step 2 – Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time. You can do 5 hours on high if you are in a hurry.
Step 3 – After the sauce is done cooking, uncover and let cool for about an hour before storing.
How to freeze
- Cool the sauce completely before ladling it into storage bags. Freeze for no longer than 3 months for the best taste.
- You can also store it in plastic or glass jars, leaving room at the top for the sauce to expand. Just remember that not all jars are made for the freezer, so check yours before you use them.
- When you’re ready to use the frozen sauce, place the bag or jar of sauce in the fridge to thaw the day before it’s needed.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
You can always use fresh herbs if you have them on hand. I prefer to stick with dried spices because they store better and are less expensive. Feel free to add up to two teaspoons of your favorite herb or spice such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, or basil at the same time that you add in the onion powder and salt.
I recommend eight hours on low, this delicious recipe really works best when you give it the whole 8 hours to simmer and let the spices really incorporate with the tomatoes for a rich flavor. You can do five hours on high if you are in a pinch.
Canning tomatoes needs a special formula of acidity. This recipe was not created for canning, it’s great for freezing though!
You can put it over anything from a meatball sub sandwich to eggplant parmesan. Use it as a dipping sauce for pizza rolls or garlic bread, or over-baked chicken with a bit of goat cheese on top. I like to use it for homemade pizza and lasagna. It’s also great with spaghetti squash or zoodles if you’re trying to avoid gluten!
With how easy it is to make this marinara sauce, there’s no reason why anyone should be without some delicious tomato sauce in their fridge or freezer. Plus, the peace of mind knowing you can defrost sauce quickly for a night when you need a quick meal is priceless!
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Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce
Equipment Needed:
Ingredients:
- 84 oz. crushed tomatoes (three 28 oz. cans)
- 29 oz. diced tomatoes (two 14.5 oz. cans)
- 1 large white onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp. dried basil
- 2 tsp. sea salt standard table salt works fine
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
Instructions:
- Add everything to the slow cooker, stir. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours, without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- After the sauce is done cooking you can use right away. Or, uncover and let cool for about an hour before ladling into freezer storage bags. Plastic or glass jars can be used, the same way you would with freezer jam, leaving room at the top for the sauce to expand.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- To use, place the bag of sauce in the fridge to thaw the day before the sauce is needed.
How to Video:
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Can we add meatballs or pork chops to this recipe?
I don’t see why not!
Could I let this go overnight?
Yes, that would work fine, though I wouldn’t go longer than 8 hours.
I always put in a can of Rotel.
I’m trying to figure out if it would work with a 5 quart crock pot.
I am making this recipe as I write this and the house smells amazing! I can’t wait to use it later in my eggplant parmesan recipe. Thank you for the great recipes!
This sounds like a great recipe but how many fresh tomatoes would it take to make this?
Hi! It’s hard to say without testing it. My guess is 2-3 pounds.
I am making this to accompany breaded and fried ravioli for SB50 50 tomorrow
I never thought to make spaghetti sauce in the crock pot, but I will now! I grow my own tomatoes, cook them, and freeze them for use all year for anything that calls for tomatoes. I never learned how to can so freezing works for me. I only use glass to freeze anything in and never have had a problem with taste or quality. I also grow, cook and freeze summer squash and enjoy that year round. We have a Meyer lemon tree and freeze the juice. I use that for iced tea (which I drink gallons of year round) and for cooking. Yes, I am fortunate to have an extra freezer, and it sure has paid for itself.
Awesome!!
I freeze my sauces in 2 cup portions in the zip lock bags until frozen then take the frozen sauce out of the bags and vacuum seal them. They keep for a year with no freezer taste.
Great idea Becky! Thanks for the tip. I need to get my food saver out of the closet!
better yet – grown your own tomatoes, chop them a bit,,do this crock pot method, and use a hand blender to smooth out the sauce before freezing. I don’t like using canned anything because of the chemicals and preservatives
How many tomatoes do you use in this when using home-grown?
Hi, I’m unsure. You could test it out with as many as you want to use and add more seasonings towards the end.
I add 5-6 bay leaves and a pinch of red pepper.