Roasted Red Pepper Crockpot Marinara

The thing about store bought marinara is that most varieties are loaded with bullshit: sugar, preservatives, salt, salt and more salt.

Make my marinara. It is clean, fresh, vegetarian, and it tastes amazing. Add the remaining sauce to some glass jars and stick them in the freezer until you need them again. You'll never need store bought again. You won't want it. I got all of my ingredients at Trader Joes. Cost me all of $6 to make at least 3 jars of organic (yes, I used that word) marinara.

• 1 large 12oz can of whole tomatoes 
• 1 Small can of tomato paste
• 1/2 jar of roasted red peppers
• 1/2 can of water (use the tomato can)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 heaping tbsp raw sugar or 2 tsp Agave Syrup 
• 4-5 cloves of freshly peeled garlic (whole clove, not pressed) 
• 10 fresh basil leaves
• Pinch of Fennel seed *optional, but it gives the sauce a beautiful flavor*
• 3 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp sea salt

Crockpot meals aren't rocket surgery... and that's why I love them with every fiver of my being.

It's pretty simple really. Add all of the above ingredients into a crock pot. You can do the next step one of two ways:

**1) If you are preparing this before work- let it crock on low heat until you get home. 
**2) Or, if you please, let it crock on high heat for 3 hours and low heat for 1 hour. 

Up to you. It's a "set-it-and-forget-it" sauce. Nothing to get worked up about time-wise when it's on low all day.  It all depends on what time you serve dinner. The trick to a fantastic sauce is minimal, fresh ingredients.... and letting those flavors slow cook. 

Once it's happy and warm, add the crocked marinara, in small batches, to a blender or food processor. 

Can't emphasize the "small batch" part enough. It will get all over the damn place. I have ruined too many cute frocks the hard way. Jussayin.

Blend/pulse the mixture well and add your "Sunday Gravy" to some mason jars for later storage.

Aged sourdough baguettes. Yeah, I can make bread and stuff.

Get some pasta going, rip off a hunk of bread,  and presto! Dinner is served, baby. 

If you are looking to preserve this with, say, the 'maters in your garden, check out my Jarring101 page.  AICC2 on Pinterest