This is another delicious vegetarian slow cooker recipe that I can make in bulk and freeze – though I don’t think it’s going to last me as long as my bean and vegetable chili! This is spicy and just the right consistency; the suggestion for ridged noodles to help scoop up the sauce is a great one. I call my version ‘spicy’ vegetarian spaghetti sauce, but the slow cooker helps mellow out the taste considerably.
Spicy Vegetarian Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
it tastes as good as it looks
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 9 hours
Storage Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 10 hours from cutting board to freezer shelf
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, chopped thinly
- 1 (8-ounce) package sliced mushrooms
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 roma tomato, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 8 oz. can of pitted black olives, roughly chopped
- 3 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
- 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained; I used preseasoned varieties – 1 “italian herbs” & 1 “basil & garlic”
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. sugar
Preparation:
- Cook onions and garlic in oil in large nonstick pan over medium heat. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until tender. If you’re allergic to onions (like I am), this is a good time to take out any if you think maybe it’s “too much.”
- Add carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, jalapeno, olives, and bell pepper. Stir for 2-3 minutes.
- Place vegetables into bottom of 6-7 quart slow cooker.
- Add remaining ingredients into the slow cooker. I took a few minutes to spread the sauces evenly over the vegetables; the added step of mixing everything together before layering them over seems unnecessary, and I wouldn’t recommend it.
Cook:
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
- Uncover, stir thoroughly, then leave cover off and turn heat to high. Cook, uncovered, for 1 more hour to thicken sauce.
Storage:
- At this point the sauce can be frozen. Divide into smaller portions and cool in refrigerator. Wrap, label, and freeze the sauce up to 3 months.
- To thaw and reheat, thaw sauce overnight in refrigerator. Pour into skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, about 15-20 minutes or until sauce bubbles and is thoroughly heated.
you’re going to enjoy it as much as I did!
I took the original of this recipe off about.com’s “Busy Cook” section, but I made several changes to the original recipe to make it more to my tastes. I added a jalapeno pepper, tons of olives, a fresh tomato, and a little bit more canned sauce to the recipe, calling for a slightly larger crock pot size. The original can be found here: Vegetarian Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce.
thedorkygirl 