Is everyone still in New Year’s – New You mode? I love this time of year. I love feeling motivated and renewed. It’s kind of like when school starts in August, you’re so excited and pumped and then the daily dose of it drags you down until about October, where you start counting the days until summer. Right now I am listening to The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
– and it is really motivating me. I’ll post a review when I am finished, I’ll also post a before and after pic of my closet that I worked on yesterday. Then today, two big boxes of books made it out of the house and on their way to Goodwill. I already feel lighter. I’m not going to tell you how many times yesterday that I went back to the closet to just open it and gaze at it in all it’s empty-ish loveliness.
Today’s marinara sauce is perfect for the new year. Oh, I know it it’s pasta and carbs and all that. But it’s light, or at least in my book it’s light. I love a bolognese as much as the next girl, but sometimes I just want tomatoes. Nothing hampering all their tomatoey goodness. This is so simple. It doesn’t need to be anything more than it is.
When you have such few ingredients, it pays to make them be the best that you can. I always start with organic whole tomatoes. I know some people use crushed or diced, but I have it in my head that whole tomatoes are better – that they use less than perfect tomatoes for diced and canned. Then there is this pasta, I love, love, love the fancy food aisle at Marshall’s and Homegoods. It was the perfect backdrop for my marinara sauce.
The beauty of this recipe is because it is so simple, with no additions, you can make plenty of it! My recipe which fits in my 6 quart slow cooker makes enough for 4 dinners!! After it cooled, I spooned 4 cups of marinara into ziploc bags and laid them flat, freezing them (I was able to get 3 bags – the third bag was slightly shy of 4 cups). Since I am freezing this sauce to use later and because I love it’s simplicity, I don’t even had any herbs like oregano or basil to mine, just a couple of bay leaves. Tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, onion, bay leaves, sugar, salt and pepper – that’s all it needs. Really. The only thing I do to boost the flavor a bit is that I do saute the onions and garlic in a little olive oil first.
Slow Cooker Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 onions chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 12 oz tomato paste
- 112 oz whole tomatoes 4 28-oz cans, undrained
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until garlic is fragrant and onions are softened.
- Add tomato paste, tomatoes, bay leaves, sugar, salt and black pepper to slow cooker. Top with onion garlic mixture. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Makes enough to sauce 4 pounds of pasta!
This has become our new favorite marinara recipe! So incredibly easy to make and the flavors come out beautifully!! Highly recommend it!
I think that book is next on my list for the year. I’m trying to listen to one positive nonfiction book a month and I keep hearing how amazing that one is!
This looks delicious! I love how simple it is!
I love love love simple dishes like this! When you have quality ingredients you don’t need to over complicate it. 🙂
It’s great to have such an easy recipe that makes enough for multiple meals! I love simple sauces like this one, too.
I just dusted off my slow cooker so I’m going to try your recipe. Marinara is always better after simmering for a long time. Can’t wait to give it a taste!
I am always up for trying new ways to make Marinara this would be an awesome way to set it to go and then be able ti finish up stuff around the house!
Oooh!! I love marinara sauce made from scratch. And making it in the slow cooker sounds much easier. Need to try this!!
You always bring delicious things to our party! Thank you. Pinned and tweeted. We feel honored that you take the time to stop by our party. I hope to see you on tonight at 7 pm. We love to party with you! Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
I’ll see you tonight!!! One of my favorite parties!
I love this marinara sauce,Looks delicious, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning.
It is so good and easy!
We are waiting impatiently for an Earth Fare to open here….should have been December…..
We grew a lot of tomatoes last summer and I roasted then froze them, would be good in this, I think. I agree about bay leaves, definitely under appreciated! Otherwise I use the fire roasted ones.
I am using the Life Changing Magic etc, too…
You’ll love Earth Fare!
This has fascinated me for years. (Okay, I need to get a life). If you order marinara sauce in Australia you will get pasta with a tomato based sauce mixed seafood – fish, prawns, calamari, mussels, scallops. What you call marinara, we call tomato sauce or tomato sugo.
It’s funny how it’s called different things, isn’t it!
I wish it would rain so that I would feel compelled to stay home and clean out the house.
I love having things like this sauce in the freezer. I’ll have to make sure I can cram it in before I fix it though.
I uncovered the Tidying book just yesterday. I’ll dust it off and start reading it as soon as I finish One Plus One.
You have FOUR blogs going??? How to you have time for your photography?! Yowsah!
Surprisingly, I’m still in New Year mode which is rather unusual for me. I think it’s because I haven’t begun the clean out the closet thing yet but, I do have quite a pile for this year’s townwide yard sale which I don’t get to participate in because I’m in Idaho. It has me so excited. I’m tossing lots of stuff in hopes of doing a lot more traveling this year. The closets are next!
I love the fancy food aisle at Marshall’s and Homegoods to Pam! I could spend hours just looking and reading labels, lol…I haven’t been up to State College for a shopping spree in a while but when I go, I will be food shopping at Marshalls, lol…
Your sauce sounds lovely, or is it Gravy, lol??? I think it’s wonderful that you went “naked” with it just to enjoy the simplicity in flavor. Bay leaves are the perfect touch. I don’t think they are used enough in soups, sauces and stews.
Thanks so much for sharing, Pam…
Can never have too many recipes for easy pasta sauce!
I have friends that sy that brand of dry pasta is the best.
I like cleaning too..My friend read that book also..I think I can get it in my library..My closet is tidy..but there are things I have not worn in 5 yrs I am sure..Sauce looks great!
Yum, I love marinara. I love to keep it in the freezer so I just have to pull a bag, defrost, and dinner is done. So easy, but so good! Then again, I’ll pretty much eat pasta any way I can 🙂
I know, it’s great having some in the fridge!
I love that feeling of peace after your house is newly cleaned and organized…if only I could keep it that way for more than a few days. 😛 WHOA to this sauce. It makes a ton. So great for freezer meals!
I’ve already checked my closet again, this morning!