Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 hours
Ingredients
¼ Onion, diced
1 Garlic clove, finely chopped
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Zucchini, chopped
½ Cup (125 mL) Mushrooms, roughly chopped
½ Tbsp (7.5 mL) Vegetable oil
1 lb (450 g) Ground beef
1 Can (796 mL) Crushed tomatoes
1 ½ Cups (375 mL) Vegetable broth
½ Tbsp (7.5 mL) Dried basil
1 tsp (5 mL) Dried oregano
1 tsp (5 mL) Dried rosemary
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp (5 mL) Salt
Directions
Wash and prepare vegetables: dice onion, finely chop garlic, peel and chop carrots, seed and finely chop bell pepper, chop zucchini, and roughly chop mushrooms.
Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook until browned, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks. Drain excess fat.
Place ground beef mixture into slow cooker.
Mix in remaining vegetables, crushed tomatoes, broth, spices and salt. Stir to combine.
Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving
Variations
Chili - Transform your sauce into Chili by adding 1 Can (540 mL) Red kidney beans, 1 Tbsp (15 mL) Cumin, and ½ Tbsp (7.5 mL) Chili powder during Step 4.
“Hamburger Helper” - Building on this recipe for Tomato Sauce, you can transform it into "Hamburger Helper" by adding ½ lb (227 g) of whole wheat macaroni (dry) during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Top with 1 Cup (114 g) of shredded cheese and enjoy! Please note: The “Hamburger Helper” variation is not Gluten or Dairy Free.
