Hi Friends!
Today I have a fun sauce recipe to share with you. Crockpot Roasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce.
Let’s talk about spaghetti sauce for a minute. I love it…I don’t love how much salt is usually in it. A few years ago I started buying no-salt-added crushed tomatoes and adding my own garlic and herbs to make spaghetti sauce. It’s super easy and much healthier!
Another one of my favorite tricks for making sauce healthier is to add extra veggies. Usually I just chop them up, saute them and mix them into my sauce with some lentils and then serve over noodles. This weekend, however, I was in the mood for a less chunky sauce. So I turned to my crockpot.
Let’s back up a minute. Did you know you can roast veggies in your crockpot? It’s so easy. Just chop up some veggies of your choice, toss lightly with olive oil and spices of your choice and roast in the crockpot on high for 3-4 hours or on low for longer. The veggies will get a little softer than when you roast them in the oven and not as “blackened”, but the flavor is still great. I still have a slight preference for oven roasted veggies…but using the crockpot is a fun way to change it up.
Ok, moving on. I decided to use some crockpot roasted veggies to kick my spaghetti sauce up a notch. Here’s what I did:
- Chopped up some veggies I had on hand and some garlic.
- Tossed in olive oil and roasted in the crockpot on high for 3 hours, stirring every hour.
- Added 2- 28oz can of whole tomatoes, one with liquid and one drained (you could also use 4- 14.5 oz cans of no salt added diced tomatoes, or even crushed)
- Pureed the mixture using my immersion blender.
- Added some spices and fresh herbs.
- Let simmer for a couple more hours.
Voila! Roasted Veggie Sauce. The best part is you can freeze this sauce….so use some now and freeze the rest. When you need more, just pull it out and defrost it! There isn’t an exact recipe for this sauce but here’s the general idea:
PrintCrockpot Roasted Vegetable Sauce
This sauce is a cinch to make and a great way to sneak more veggies into your diet. Enjoy some today and freeze the rest for tomorrow!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 hours
- Total Time: 5 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 2–3 cups chopped vegetables
- 2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes
- 2–3 tsp oregano
- 2 Tbsp fresh basil
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop the vegetables. Use whatever you have on hand. I used a sweet potato, a red pepper, 2 leeks, a handful of mushrooms and 3-4 carrots.
- Toss lightly in olive oil and add to the crockpot with the garlic.
- Roast on high for 3-4 hours or until soft, stirring every hour.
- Add one can of tomatoes with liquid, the drain the second can and add it without the liquid.
- Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender and puree until smooth.
- Add spices (adjust to your tastebuds- add parsley or other italian seasonings if desired).
- Let simmer 1-2 hours more on warm.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze.
You won’t outright taste the veggies, but it’s awesome knowing that they’re in there…and I think it adds a nice flavor to the sauce if you’re looking for it. Try to find no-salt-added tomatoes if you can! If you can’t, look at several brands to find the one with the lowest amount, and rinse off the tomatoes from the can you drain the liquid from!
Serve this sauce over noodles or spaghetti sauce and add your favorite protein. I usually add lentils or white beans…but you could also add chicken or ground turkey. And if you’re feeling extra “saucy”, add a dollop of pesto for some extra flavor!
Let’s chat: Do you add extra veggies to your sauce?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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What a great idea! Plus it looks super tasty and I’m sure tastes just as good, if not BETTER than the jarred stuff!
definitely better, in my opinion 🙂
i love sneaking in veggies – there’s no reason not to! it bulks up the sauce and adds nutrition!!
Oh my goodness, that looks so good!
Sounds wonderful. I actually have to do what you said, and mix no-salt added crushed tomatoes with my own spices, in order to have a sauce without garlic and onion! I don’t mind it (I add garlic olive oil).
I’ve never thought to roast veggies in a crockpot. Great tip–thanks! I agree that making your own sauce is the way to go. Not only for the salt content, but some companies add sugar (or HFCS) as well. Why is that necessary? Annoying.
i know!! SO annoying!
Looks delicious! I add veggies to everything! I love adding sauteed, chopped eggplant to spaghetti sauce as a meat substitute. 🙂
I feel like spaghetti is one of the easiest ways to add veggies!!! It helps bulk up the meal and adds great nutrients. I love adding veggies to lasagna and I even like to switch out crumbled tofu for the ricotta! Another wonderful swap!
yes! i’ve made tofu stuffed shells before! so good!
I too never thought of roasting veggies in a crockpot! Genius! Thanks for this.
you’re quite welcome 🙂
Oh smart idea on the crockpot. Duh, never thought to do that even though I simmer my sauce for hours. LOL
haha 🙂 def give the crockpot a try!
I love making my own sauce! Thanks for the inspiration!
woohoo! homemade for the win!
I love Crock Pot recipes. I love to use my Crock Pot, they make my life so easy! That looks good!!!Thanks for sharing this recipe! 🙂
you’re welcome! hope you like it!
This looks yummy & anything in the crockpot is worth trying because it’s so darn easy!
my sentiments exactly!
I love making my own tomato sauce! I almost always prefer it ‘chunkier’ though. I haven’t bought canned tomato sauce like Prego in ages
nice! i’m a fan of smooth sauce but every once and a while chunky is good!
What a great idea, Lindsay! This looks delish! It’s a great way to sneak in some veggies. =)
You rule Lindsay! We both shared and created to very awesome spaghetti squash meals this week. How funny! Good to now great minds think alike. I can’t wait to try yours. I love how you made your sauce!! xx
told you we were on the same wavelength!!
What a great idea, I am always looking for new ways to use my crockpot! Thanks 🙂
you’re welcome! love my crockpot!
Yum! I definitely want to use my crock pot more. So many easy recipes! I’ve never made my own sauce but it seems super simple! I’ve got a spaghetti squash waiting to be tried!
perfect time to give it a go!
Just went to heaven for a little bit… Your Tomato Sauce was there 😀
I think you may just be better at sneaking in veggies than anyone I know! This sauce looks fab 🙂
thanks girl 🙂 i do my best!
This looks awesome and the perfect way to get my kids to eat more vegetables 🙂
yes! very kid friendly 🙂
Stomach is growling…looks so good and there are so many ways to use something like this!
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the possibilities are endless!
This looks awesome! I never knew you could roast veggies in a crockpot either! I love making my own pasta sauce, although I’ve never done it in a crockpot before.
yep! super easy 🙂
Adding this to my list of recipes to try! Sounds delicious – I love adding veggies into sauces, it adds flavor and nutrition – win!
that’s exactly how i feel 😉
That looks so tasty! and healthy to!!
I LOVE homemade sauce, and the crockpot is a great idea! Totally pinning this! Had no idea about roasting veggies in the crock too! no liquid? does it make them burn??
they might burn if you didn’t stir them…but the veggies release their moisture while they’re in there so there actually ends up being some liquid in there which helps them not burn!
I always add veggies to my sauce! They add so much more flavor, nutrients, and make it more hearty! 🙂
exactly! only way to do it!
Lindsay, this looks great! What an awesome way to get in extra veggies, and add some flavor to the sauce. I love the taste of roasted veggies, and I bet it makes the sauce extra delicious!
it definitely adds a special taste to the plain old sauce! i love it!
I love this idea…and am ALL ABOUT more veggies! Will be trying this stat – to top my spaghetti squash with 🙂
yes! it’s the perfect combo! hope you like it!
I love this and I can’t wait to try it. I already add purreed carrots to my spaghetti courtesy of Giada de Lerentis. So, I am so in to adding all this other stuff. Plus, one time I added eggplant. It was yummy.
oooh that sounds delicious!
Why have I never thought of this before?! This is awesome. Thanks so much for sharing. Making this ASAP!! 🙂
let me know how it turns out!
I LOVE adding tons of veggies to my tomato sauces, especially because I love super think and chunky sauce.
I had no idea you could ‘roast’ veggies in a slow cooker. Not that I’ve ever USED my slow cooker…
get on it, girl! love mine!
Beautiful sauce. What great way to add nutrients and extra flavor!