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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.
Hey, this looks delicious. I’d love to make it and I was wondering would you know if it would last long in the fridge?
you truly have some amazing dishes.. I am on your site every single day. Learning. I am a cook in Canada, With a burning passion for food! Beautiful beautiful beautiful food on here!!
Thank you so much! I am so happy you are liking my site! 🙂
This recipe is absolutely glorious. Tried it tonight and oh my god… The depth of flavor. I’m a college student living at home and I usually cook at least once a week for my family. We love pasta and marinara sauce, so this was an incredible twist on a classic. So rich and delicious, I cannot stop praising this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing! 😀 😀 😀
SO happy you and your family love this!!
Thank you so much, Kelsey!! 🙂
Wow! Thanks for sharing this recipe. The brown butter marinara sauce looks appetizing and the fact that your recipe is so easy, Definitely I’m gonna try this one.
Thank you!
Holy crock pot obsession! You had me at brown buttahhh
Haha! Thanks Kita!
I made this recipe and it is wonderful….
I am totally going to try this next week!
Thanks Deborah! Hope you love it! 🙂
My family and I loved this and look forward to making it again! We added some cream into it at the end and it was amazing! I featured it in my meal line up this week on my blog, thank you!
Thank so much for making this, Emily! SO happy you and your family loved it!
I already love brown butter in my baked goods, and now you’ve gone and added it to savory dishes. Genius!
Thanks Amanda!
Beautiful, beautiful photos!!! I love the wood, is it a table or just boards??
Thanks so much, Yammie!! It’s just some old board my dad found for me. It’s just boards, put together!
That’s exactly what I need! Looks great!
Oooohhh… I love brown butter! I absolutely need to try this!
Brown butter is the best!! Thanks Nessa!
What a brilliant idea to add brown butter to marinara sauce!
Thanks so much, Jessica!
Now I have a reason to buy some more sun dried tomatoes [I avoid it if I’m not recipe ready – my dh just eats the whole jar straight ;p]
We’ve been making Marcella Hazan’s recipe with the butter a lot this summer – but this sounds so like the dish I need for fall! And crockpot – love that now that I spend my dinner prep hours driving kids hither and yon!
Can’t wait to try it – will be leaving out the jalepenos cause we’re wimps LOL
Thanks Cherie!! I really hope you guys love this!
First of all, what an amazing invention the crock pot is. Secondly, I love tomato sauce and it couldn’t get any better than with sun-dried tomatoes and browned butter. There’s something about browned butter that makes pasta absolutely delicious. Always my favorite when I used to go to The Old Spaghetti Factory – pasta with browned butter and mizithra cheese. Thanks for the reminder of how good that is – I’ll have to try this recipe soon.
Thank you so much, Debra! Let me know if you do give this a try. Hope you love it!
Really? Browned butter AND marinara?! Two of my favorite things?!?! Ok this is going in the books of epic recipes to impress. Love it. Also, I agree with Averie–your photos are simply stunning!
Haha! Thank you so much, Erin! You are so sweet!