Making Sauce

Normally I make spaghetti sauce in a big pot and then freeze it in ziplock bags.  This time I changed it up a bit!!

I have decided I love to make my sauce in the crock pot.  In the pot sometimes I would get a bit burned because I could not get the heat down far enough.  So now, I prep everything.  Sauté onions and peppers, then throw it in the crock pot and let it simmer all day!!

A friend shared a recipe too – can of crushed tomatoes (maybe stewed too) and an onion cut in half.  Let it simmer about 45 minutes, take the onion out and you have great marinara sauce.  I have made it many times, so this time I made it in the crock pot too. 

So, I filled 2 crock pots – one marinara (crushed toms and an onion) and another sautéed peppers onions, and tomatoes and cooked both all day.  I did add some garlic as well to both batches, because I love garlic – and a sprinkling of italian seasonings to the pepper and onion one.

Then I got my quart jars out and sanitized them, got a boiling water bath ready and I canned 6 quarts of spaghetti sauce!!  I love that I do not have to thaw it or anything!  Ready to open, heat and pour on my pasta!!  Great for pizza sauce too!

The best part?  All 6 quarts (and 2 more in the fridge that did not fit in my boiling water bath) cost about 6.50 for the tomatoes, and whatever 2-3 onions and 2 peppers will cost. (I get them in my veggie co-op so I am not sure what I would pay for them individually)  Either way about a dollar a quart and all natural, healthy and yummy!!