I’ve made a few variations of pasta sauce over the years, but this Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce is definitely one of my favorites. The long slow simmer caramelizes the sugars in the tomatoes and creates a depth of flavor that can’t be matched. Plus, what more could you ask for than to just throw some ingredients in a pot, forget about it for 8 hours, and then come back to a rich, delicious homemade sauce? Then you can divide the sauce into portions, freeze, and you’ll have delicious homemade pasta sauce on hand for quick busy weeknight dinners.
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Why make Homemade Spaghetti Sauce?
Pasta sauce can be bought premade really cheaply, so I think in a lot of cases it does make sense to just buy a jar and go with it. But if you want to have a little more control over the quality and ingredients of your pasta sauce while still keeping costs low, this Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce is a great option.
What Size Slow Cooker to Use
This recipe makes about 2 quarts of sauce, so I would suggest using a 3 quart or larger slow cooker. You don’t need anything fancy, just a very basic slow cooker with basic functions like warm, low, and high. I do find that slow cookers made with a thick ceramic insert (or “crock”) cook much more evenly than metal inserts, like you’d have when using the slow cooker function on an Instant Pot.
Why Add Balsamic Vinegar?
The balsamic vinegar in this recipe adds a subtle depth and brightness to the sauce. It can seem strong at first, but it mellows out as the sauce is cooked. If you’re not a fan of balsamic vinegar or just don’t have any on hand, this recipe will still make a really amazing sauce even if you leave it out.
Can I Add Meat?
I’ve tried this sauce before with ground beef and I found the cook time to be far too long for the ground beef, so if you do want to add meat I suggest browning it separately and then just stirring it into the sauce after cooking. You can also check out my quick Weeknight Pasta Sauce for an easy and flavorful meat sauce option.
How to Freeze Pasta Sauce
This recipe makes about 7 cups. I suggest dividing the sauce into two or three cup portions before freezing so you can take out just enough for one recipe at a time to thaw. Let the spaghetti sauce cool completely in the fridge, then transfer to freezer-safe containers to freeze. The sauce will stay good in the freezer for about three months, but this can vary depending on the conditions in your freezer. If you use quart-sized freezer bags and freeze them laying flat they stack nicely in the freezer without taking up much space.
You can thaw the sauce in the refrigerator overnight or just cut the bag away from the frozen sauce, place it in a saucepot, and heat over medium-low until it’s heated through (stir occasionally).
This sauce goes great with Homemade Meatballs (also freezer-friendly)!
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Servings 7 cupsIngredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 2 28oz. cans crushed tomatoes ($2.00)
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste ($0.69)
- 1 Tbsp dried basil ($0.30)
- 1.5 tsp dried oregano ($0.15)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.03)
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ($0.14)
- 4 Tbsp butter ($0.40)
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste) ($0.05)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Place both in a 3 quart or larger slow cooker.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, and butter to the slow cooker. Stir everything together well.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
- After cooking, give it a good stir, then add salt to taste. Start with just ½ tsp of salt and add more if needed (I added 1 tsp). Use the sauce immediately, refrigerate, or freeze for later.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Looking for a stove top pasta sauce recipe? Check out our Easy Marinara Sauce.
How to Make Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce – Step By Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and mince four cloves of garlic. Add both to a 3 quart or larger slow cooker.
Add 2 28oz. cans of crushed tomatoes and one 6oz. can of tomato paste to the slow cooker.
Also add 1 Tbsp dried basil, 1.5 tsp dried oregano, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 4 Tbsp butter to the slow cooker.
Give the ingredients a good stir until they’re evenly incorporated.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours. After cooking, it will look a little like the photo above (the white is just the milk fats from the butter). Give it a good stir.
Add salt to the sauce to taste. Start with ½ teaspoon and add more until the flavors pop. I ended up using one teaspoon total.
Use the slow cooker spaghetti sauce immediately or refrigerate then freeze for long-term storage.
I made this yesterday during a heat wave, and this turned out amazing! I’m going to use this one all the time now. I used two large cans of San Maranzo tomatoes (whole) and one small can of fire roasted tomatoes. I also added 1/2 cup of red wine instead of the vinegar. After 8 hours I pureed it with my immersion blender directly in the crock pot. This is so much cheaper than store bought marinara, and a million times better!
For fresh tomatoes you can probably roast and dice them yourself then proceed with her recipe as written. If you use fresh tomatoes be aware that the seeds add bitterness (though the tomato paste should round out that bitterness), and some tomatoes have thick skin which could be unpleasant.
Anon – I’m sorry but I haven’t experimented with fresh tomatoes for this recipe, so I’m not sure what adjustments would need to be made. I wish I could help more!
How would I use fresh tomatoes from the garden??
Love the recipe. Freezing tomatoes can break down their texture and change flavor, even in a sauce. Wonder if you could can this? maybe by putting it in a pot over the stove when it’s done, boiling for a few minutes, then dishing into jars and processing in a water-bath. Hmmm…will try and let you know how it goes.
damn..meant to put that on the curry chickpea recipe nvm
I have some tomatoes i need to use up so all id need to do is puree them until it equals 2 1/2 cups which would equal that 20oz can, right?
I found a 105oz can of crushed tomatoes or even tomato sauce at Sam’s Club for just over $2. Filled almost my entire crockpot! Thanks for the great recipes!
Hi Beth, I love to use your marinara for my pizzas and shared your link in my latest post. If you get a chance, check it out at http://www.goldennuggetgourmet.com/2012/06/easy-gourmet-pizza-lactose-free.html
We have not bought canned/jarred sauce in YEARS, and have had a favorite sauce involving both ground beef and sausage that’s been our go-to. However, this summer we’re working to transition to a vegetarian diet. I’ve been looking for a red pasta sauce, and when I saw this, I was sure it would be the one. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS! Having made many of your recipes in the past, all of which were great. I was confident enough to go ahead and make a double batch so that we’d have lots to freeze. We’re thrilled with our “new” favorite sauce – thank you, Beth, for this and all your wonderful recipes!
Hi. We tried this sauce tonight. It was amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Alannia – I haven’t actually tried it so I can’t say for sure, but I’d be hesitant to leave it for so long because the sugars can eventually burn and give an off taste. I just don’t know how long it would take for that to happen.
Hi Beth, do you think we could leave it to cook for more than 12 hours on LOW?
Elizabeth – I don’t… yet! I hope to do a fresh version sometime in the future :)
Looks great! Do you have a variation to use fresh ingredients int he crock pot?