by Adobestock/FomaA
6 to 8 cups
SERVINGS
Leave the tomato skins on for a more nutritious, easy, slow-cooker tomato sauce recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds fresh tomatoes, quartered
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Directions
- Place quartered tomatoes in the slow cooker.
- In skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook 7 to 8 minutes to tenderize.
- Add garlic and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. For additional flavor, cook onions until they start to caramelize.
- Add onions and garlic to tomatoes. Sprinkle sugar, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper over top.
- Cover. Cook on low for 4 hours.
- Remove lid. Continue cooking on low another 4 hours, allowing extra liquid to evaporate.
- Pureé. You may do this in small batches in a blender or use an immersion blender while tomato mixture is still in slow cooker.
- Freeze sauce in desired sizes for use in future recipes. Use within 6 months.
For more Locavore Meals made with homegrown tomatoes
Locavore Meals: Chicken with Tomato Sauce and Tomato Soup with Venison Roast
Slow-Cooker Venison Sloppy Joes Recipe with Sourdough Buns
Bruce and Elaine Ingram co-wrote Living the Locavore Lifestyle about hunting, fishing, and gathering wild fruits and nuts for food, plus recipes. For more info: BruceIngramOutdoors@Gmail.com.
Originally published in the July/August 2025 issue of Grit magazine and regularly vetted for accuracy.
