Excellent! I have made this for several years. I love to pile my freezer full and enjoy it all year long. I no longer make it in a crockpot. I found that the crockpot is too small and messy for the recipe. I simmer it on the stovetop in a large stock pot for a few hours. I find that the sauce becomes much thicker when I make it on the stovetop.
I did this in a lobster pot on the stove because there isn't a crock pot big enough for the bounty of tomatoes I had from the garden this year. The seasonings for this recipe are good and proportionate, and for a meatless sauce, it is outstanding. I did not use any oil. I chop and add veggies to the pot as is. I blanched and peeled the tomatoes, though, and left them chunky. Also, I added a lot of green peppers, onions, and fresh mushrooms to make it stocky, and I added more tomato paste because I like the sauce thick. This is as good a basic recipe as I've tried. Thanks.
Have made this recipe multiple times. The sauce is wonderful and I end up cooking it in the slow cooker overnight. Makes a LOT! Best served on tortallini and used for lasagna. I usually add a full can of tomato paste for EACH quart I freeze otherwise sauce is "waterery".
This recipe was really good. I cut the recipe in half b/c that was all the tomatoes that I had. I needed a way to use my tomatoes and ones that a friend gave me. I did cook on low for about 6 hours. I omitted the bell pepper b/c my family doesn't like them. I added extra garlic (b/c we love garlic, I roasted it first and used the whole head) and some red pepper flakes. I used my Braun hand mixer to puree the sauce. I used the whole can of tomato paste. It is a very good sauce. Tastes like a basic sauce, but better than the jarred stuff. I froze in 3 ziplock freezer bags for later. ********Update: I made this again. Just a week later. This time I used the full 16 cups of tomatoes. Well a little over. I bought over 5 lbs of plum tomatoes. I still left out the bell pepper, and added about 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 2 bay leaves, and 2 heads roasted garlic (drizzle with olive oil and cook 35 min. in 400 degree oven, squeeze out garlic). I followed the rest of the ingredients exactly. I left it on low in the crockpot for 8 hours. When I came home it smelled like an italian resturant. I removed the bay leaves and pureed the sauce with my Braun hand mixer to make it smooth adn added 1 can of tomato paste. It made about 3 1/2 quarts. I plan on freezing it. My last batch is gone already. It was excellent! I made spagetti and meatballs and eggplant lasagna with the sauce last time.
I made minimal changes to this recipe when trying it for the first time - I peeled the tomatoes first (personal preference), reduced the sugar to only 1/8 cup, and reduced the salt to 1-1/2 tbls - I did make this on the stove, simmered it for three hours. Served it to my ITALIAN father-in-law and he declared it "Great" - he said his mother used to make a sauce like it many years ago. Some of us topped it with feta cheese, and some of us topped it with shredded parmesean (instead of grated). Thanks very much for the recipe Stephanie- it's a keeper!
Hey Hey! I made my own sauce! This is a great way to use up tomatoes about to go bad. I did not deviate from the recipe at all except to slow cook it on the stovetop instead of the crockpot. As such, I think it was a bit too salty. Next time, I think I will add mushrooms. This recipe definately has a lot room for creativity. FYI - one batch fills 2 28 oz (Barilla sized) pasta sauce jars.
I just made this last night. It was a lot of chopping, but well worth it. I froze 3 batches and we ate a batch for dinner. It will be a real treat this winter. Everybody had seconds. This is a keeper and a great way to use up your gardern or veggies that you picked up at the Farmers Market. I added jalepeno to give it a little kick. Awesome! PS: Don't forget it is 1 can of tomato paste per quart.
I did scald and peel my tomatoes first. I gave this 5 stars due to how great it tastes and how easy it was. I have spent a lot more on ingredients and time on other spaghetti sauces and this one was just as good AND simple.
I have a question. Why add the tomato paste when ready to use? Can't you freeze the entire recipe with the tomato paste? It sounds fabulous and I can't wait to try it. thank you
