Slow Cooker Marinara

Last Year's Post: Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Two Years Ago:   Chicken Pho

Marinara is a very versatile tomato-based sauce typically used with spaghetti, lasagna, eggplant parmesan, baked pasta, and any one of a number of other dishes.  I've been making my favorite marinara recipe on the stovetop for years, but it takes several hours of attention and stirring so it doesn't burn.  It only recently occurred to me that marinara is perfectly suited to the low-and-slow approach of a slow cooker, so I immediately made a big batch and was happy that I didn't have to hang around and keep stirring.

There are a couple of advantages to making your own sauce:  you can customize it to your liking, you control the sodium and fat levels, and it can potentially be much less expensive than buying jarred sauce.  I say potentially less expensive because it all depends on the ingredients you add to your sauce, and the type/brand of sauce you would otherwise buy.  If you normally buy the least expensive private label pasta sauce in the store, you may not save much.  But if you buy a more expensive brand, you might.  And again, I chose to add organic fire-roasted tomatoes to my sauce for texture and flavor, which increased the price.  If you use store private label tomatoes, you'll save money.

Besides chopping and sauteing some onions and garlic, this is basically a dump-everything-in approach.  You could even forego the saute step for the onions, but then I would probably cut down on the amount of onions in the sauce.

Start checking the consistency of the sauce around 6 hours and cook until you're happy with its thickness and color.  I like to add some chopped parsley at the very end for little flecks of freshness and color.

Cool the marinara completely and place in glass jars or heavy zip-top bags, then freeze for up to several months.

This is a great weekend project for cold winter months.

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Slow Cooker Marinara

Makes 9 cups

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

6 cups chopped onion (about 3 medium)

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup dry red wine

2 teaspoons dried oregano

½ teaspoon salt*

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 medium garlic cloves, grated

2 (28-oz) cans crushed tomatoes, undrained

2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (use fire-roasted, if desired)

2 (6-oz) cans no-salt-added tomato paste

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion and sugar and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Place in slow cooker and add remaining ingredients (including the remaining tablespoon of olive oil) except the parsley; stir well paying particular attention to breaking up any lumps of tomato paste.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, depending on how cooked down you prefer your sauce.  Check after 6 hours and continue cooking until desired consistency is reached.  Taste and adjust salt to your preference.  Stir in the parsley before serving.

To store:  cool completely and place in glass storage jars or resealable plastic bags.  Freeze for up to several months.

* Salt levels vary widely according to the brand of tomatoes and especially tomato paste that you use.  I recommend using no-salt-added tomato paste because regular tomato paste is very high in sodium.  If you use low-salt brands, you will likely need to add salt at the end or on the table, but it’s better to start low and add more later.

Pesto for the Freezer

 Last Year's Post: Watermelon Gazpacho
Two Years Ago:    Apple, Bacon and Fontina Stuffed Acorn Squash

Pesto is one of the best ways to preserve a little sliver of summer to be brought out in the middle of winter - bright and aromatic basil with garlic, pine nuts, cheeses, olive oil and butter, it's one of my favorite ways to eat pasta.  Even if you don't have an herb garden, it's worth going to the farmers market to pick up a big bunch of basil at the end of summer so you can freeze several small jars.  Pesto is very versatile and can be used in sandwiches, on roast chicken or fish, and of course tossed with pasta.  Today we tossed it with spaghetti and served it with grilled shrimp, which was perfectly complemented by the bright garlicky pesto flavors.

I found this recipe many years ago in the "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" by Marcella Hazan.  Although there are lots of pesto recipes out there, I particularly like this one for freezing because it tells you to leave out the cheeses and butter until after you thaw the pesto.  Adding them at that point makes the pesto taste much fresher.  Also, she tells you to beat the cheeses and butter in by hand rather than in the blender, which gives the pesto a more interesting texture.  Two really good tips.  I'm actually surprised that I haven't shared this recipe before - it's one of two essentials I make every fall to freeze, along with this roasted tomato salsa that I think is the best salsa ever.

The recipe is very easy to prepare so you can make multiple batches if you have a lot of basil (highly recommended).  I would freeze the pesto in small jars because a little goes a long way - the 1/3 cup or so in one of my jars will make plenty of pesto (when the cheeses and butter are added) to top four pieces of chicken or fish, or to toss with enough pasta to feed 2-3 people.

The beautiful green color, fragrance and fresh taste will be a huge reward for you in the middle of winter for just a little effort at this time of the year.

printable recipe

Pesto for Freezing

Makes approximately 2/3 – 3/4 cup of pesto, enough for 6 servings of pasta.  The recipe may be doubled or tripled.

2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry (or use a salad spinner)

½ cup good olive oil

2 tablespoons pine nuts (plus more, toasted, for garnish, optional)

2 -3 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese*

2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese*

3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature*

16 - 20 ounces of pasta, cooked and drained*

Coarse salt and pepper*

Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, and salt in a blender and mix at high speed, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed with a rubber spatula, until evenly blended.

To Serve Immediately:

 Pour the pesto into a bowl and beat in the two cheeses by hand (this results in a more interesting texture and better flavor than if added to the blender).  When evenly incorporated, beat in the softened butter.  Before adding the pasta, add a tablespoon of pasta water if the pesto seems thick.

Add the hot pasta to the pesto and toss to coat evenly.  Serve at once, garnished with additional toasted pine nuts (optional) and a sprinkling of coarse salt and coarse pepper.

To Freeze for Later:

Pour the pesto (without cheeses and butter) from the blender into small jars, cover tightly, and freeze.  Before using, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  When completely thawed, beat in the cheeses and butter as described above.  Adding the cheeses and butter at this time rather than before freezing gives the sauce a much fresher flavor.  Frozen pesto will keep for up to 6 months.

  

* Not needed until later if you’re planning on freezing all the pesto.