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This just kind of seemed like a Sunday recipe.
For one, it’s SO easy. Just throw everything in and go. No peeling tomatoes, no chopping and no splatters all over your stove. Then there is the fact that your house is gonna smell like an old Italian lady’s all day long.
It’s so good.
To be honest, I am not the biggest tomato sauce person.
I like it in lasagna, or when used as dipping sauce or sometimes even on sandwiches, but not normally with pasta. When I was a kid I always just choose pasta with butter and passed on the sauce. Of course this could have been my mother subconsciously influencing my decision. She apparently grew up on noodles and butter and still loves them to this day. Asher has decided to follow in her footsteps.
You want to know something funny though?
I have always been a good eater and am willing to try pretty much anything, but my brothers are a different story, especially Kai. To this day the kid has still never eaten a single piece of fruit and the only vegetables that have ever passed through his lips are tomatoes – and they’ve been in the form of pizza, pasta or ketchup. Oh and corn, he does love corn.
He is going to be eighteen in November and never a single fruit. Unless you count those sugary artificial fruit drinks, he loves those. Oh and remember these zucchini crusted chicken fingers? He did eat those, but he never knew he was eating zucchini.
Muhahaha (as I rub my hands together in an evil way)!
When we were younger he would always go for the red stuff and I would go for the butter. I think it is because I do not really enjoy warm tomatoes or maybe we just bought the cheapy sauce. Ok, we definitely bought the cheapy sauce. I just think it is funny, well not funny, more like ironic, that the vegetable, fruit hating kid went for the color and me, the kid who would munch on broccoli and carrots after school, went for the butter.
Such a funny story, right? Yeah, no. I am stopping.
I admit that when I set out to make this pasta sauce I had another dish in mind (oh, it’s coming), but it turned out so rich and delicious that I actually ended up serving some of it over pasta for dinner. The brown butter adds so much flavor and richness and when paired with the tomatoes it’s perfect.
I added some jalapeño pepper because I like a little kick, but that part is up to you. I also love adding some parmesan cheese right at the end, I highly recommend doing that part.
Crockpot Brown Butter Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled, san marzano tomatoes
- 3/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, draind of the oil
- 1 sweet onion, ends chopped off, peeled and sliced half
- 4 cloves garlic, skin removed and crushed
- 6-8 pickled jalapeños (optional, but it gives it just a a little kick)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or less
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon butter
- 2-4 tablespoon fresh parmesan cheese, optional
- fresh basil, sliced
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeños (if using), basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and 1 tablespoon butter to the bowl of a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours (or 3-4 hours on high) stirring once or twice if possible. After 8 hours remove the onion if you wish (I do, but some people love it left in). Use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to break down the tomatoes. If you like a smooth sauce use an immersion blender to puree the sauce or transfer to a blender or food processor and then return the sauce to the crockpot, leaving the lid off.
- In a heavy-bottomed sauce pan add the remaining butter, melt butter over medium heat until just browned. Butter will melt, foam, and froth, then begin to brown along the bottom. Whisk browned bits off of the bottom of the pan and stir into the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. If desired stir in the parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
- If the sauce seems too thin allow it to cook 30 minutes longer with the lid off.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Told you it was good.
Gorgeous to the max! I love marinara and brown butter… so putting them together seems only natural! Brilliant!
Thank you, Laurie!!
I’ve never made a crock pot sauce but this looks so simple I might have to give it a try. Really intrigued by the use of pickled jalapenos! Also I originally misread one sentence as, “….your house is gonna smell like an old Italian lady all day long.” I did a double take on that one, haha. 🙂
haha!! Not sure I would like that smell, LOL!
Thanks Katherine!
Prettiest plate of pasta ever! I love the brown butter addition (and your light is so perfect in these photos!).
Um, wow. Brown butter in marinara. I love you Tieghan!
Haha! Thanks Dorothy!
Once again, you’ve provided me with another reason why I need a crockpot. This looks so delicious! Great photos too 🙂
Thanks Laura! You need to get a crockpot, I still can’t believe you do not have one!
I love that you could make this in the crockpot – so easy!
Thanks Chung-Ah!
This sauce looks so good. My mom makes the best tomato sauce, but it is a TON of work. Boiling, peeling, chopping, mincing.. the whole process takes five hours at least, if not all day. But this sauce looks so simple!
I’m with you – I’ve never been much of a sauce person. Plain white pasta with butter and salt is like dessert for me; so insanely good.
Gorgeous photos! I especially love the last one. 🙂
Pinning this!
Thanks so much, Abbie!!
Wow! Just gorgeous and so inventive, Tieghan! Love this Marinara recipe using brown butter and must try it soon. Thank you for sharing and have a lovely Sunday! Pinning everywhere!
Thank you so much, Stacy!!
I’m not a big fan of tomato sauce in pasta either… but if it features brown butter, then I’m in. And the parmesan addition in the end is genius. I’m loving that as well!
Happy Sunday 🙂
Thanks Consuelo! Brown butter has a way of making everything better!
I like the sound of an easy crockpot marinara sauce and with those sundried tomatoes this one would just be packed with flavour!
Thanks Kevin! I love adding sun-dried tomatoes to my sauce. It adds and awesome tomato flavor that canned tomatoes lack!
I make homemade sauce (“gravy” to the Italians) but I’l be willing to give this a try. Sounds delish….like most of your recipes.
Thanks Rie! I have to sauce, I am not sure anything can beat true homemade italian pasta sauce! Let me know what you think, I hope you LOVE it!
Ok Tieghan you’ve done it again! This is going on the menu for this week. This look absolutley fabulous!
Thank you so much, Kathy!! Hope your family loves it!
I’ve never made homemade sauce, but I think after I finish up the jars of store bought I have in my pantry I will definitely be making my own.
Thanks Kristi! This is so easy and delicious you will not want to go back!
This marinara is lovely!! Such a fabulous recipe. And I agree with Averie – your photos rock!
Thank you so much, Katrina! That means a lot! 🙂
Your photography the past month or so has been EXPLODING off the charts with amazing-ness! Tieghan! Truly….such beautiful images! Are you doing anything differently? New equipment? Just….the clarity and the composition, I am so…in awe of how far you’ve come in 6-12 mos!
Wow, thanks Averie! Nothing different except some new boards and driving myself insane over my photos! I have actually been struggling with my light, I have too much! I know that sounds crazy, but my kitchen is surrounded with floor to ceiling windows and when it is sunny, there is just too much light and moving downstairs is a real pain. I am try to work on it, but I swear it is going to drive me insane. So many reshoots lately. Anyway, thank you so much! You have no idea how much that mean coming from a beautiful photographer like you. Made my day!