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Our go-to Crockpot Sunday Sauce. Slow simmered Italian-style tomato sauce cooked with short ribs. If there’s one cozy fall and winter meal you need to be making, it’s this Sunday sauce. It’s a simple-to-put-together family-style meal that smells incredible while cooking away all day. Serve over hot pasta with freshly grated parmesan, basil, and a side of garlic bread. A hearty dinner that’s lovely on a Sunday, but equally great any night you decide to serve.
It’s Monday, but we’re making Sunday sauce. This recipe is so special. Of course, you can make it any day of the week. But I find it best when slow-cooked all Sunday long. Because there really is nothing cozier on a Sunday, than an incredible smelling dinner cooking away.
Add to the ambiance with fresh garlic bread and a candle burning in the background. My ideal kind of fall night.
As I type this, I’m in New York and loving my time here. Fall is beautiful in this city and the chilly nights have had me craving slow-cooker meals. I think most of us are on the same page.
With the weather officially cold and November just around the corner, it’s the time of year when we all start to stay in more, host casual dinners with friends, and embrace the cozy season. This sauce is the perfect recipe to have in your rotation of easy, special dinners to share with family and friends.
It’s an oldie-but-goodie recipe that I make throughout the fall and winter months, and one my family loves.
Here are the details
Start by searing the ribs in a nice big skillet. Or if using the oven method, a cocotte that’s oven safe. When the ribs are browned, pull them out and add them to the bowl of your crockpot/slow cooker (whatever you’d prefer to call it).
At this point, everything else goes in. The tomatoes, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, red wine, carrots, onions, jalapeños, and Italian seasoning.
I also add a parmesan rind for extra flavor, plus 1 whole head of garlic right on top of the sauce. Then, slow cook all day long. The more time the sauce has to really simmer away, the more flavor it will develop.
Just before the sauce is finished cooking, I pull out the head of garlic, then squash out the cloves.
Take the cloves and melt them together with salted butter on the stove. As the butter slowly melts, smash the cloves down and allow some of the garlic to get crispy as the butter begins to brown.
When the butter is browned, I pour the garlicky goodness right back into the sauce. Of course, this step is not crucial to the recipe. But it really adds a special richness to the sauce that’s very delicious.
For serving
I always, always serve the sauce over hot pasta, topped with freshly grated parmesan and basil. Polenta could be another nice option if you’re looking for something other than pasta.
This sauce is also really great without the short ribs, just cook it up with your favorite meatballs.
Be sure to include some kind of bread, we love garlic bread or beer bread. A nice salad alongside is perfect too.
Yummmy, as Oslo loves to say. This is always a crowd pleaser!
Looking for other slow cooked fall recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Red Wine Cranberry Braised Short Ribs
Slow Cooker Red Wine Braised Short Rib Pasta
Slow Cooker Coq au Vin with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions
Lastly, if you make this Crockpot Sunday Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crockpot Sunday Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 1047 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds bone in beef short ribs
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 2 cans (28 ounce) crushed san Marzano tomatoes
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chopped oil packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups red wine
- 2 carrots, cut into large pieces
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup pickled jalapeños (optional, but recommend)
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 -1 teaspoon chili flakes
- parmesan rind, plus grated parmesan, for serving
- 1 head garlic, top portion trimmed off
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- pasta, plus fresh basil, for serving
Instructions
Crockpot
- 1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat, sear the ribs on both sides. Place the ribs in the slow cooker. 2. To the slow cooker, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, wine, carrots, onion, pickled jalapeños, Italian seasoning, and season generously with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Stir the sauce to combine. 3. Place the parmesan rind in the sauce. Add the garlic head. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. During the last hour of cooking, remove the garlic. 4. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins. Add both the butter and cloves to a skillet set over medium heat. Mash the garlic into the butter, allowing the butter to brown and some of the garlic to get crispy. Remove from the heat.5. Remove the parmesan rind. Shred the ribs and add them to the sauce. Stir the garlic butter into the sauce. Serve over pasta. Top with parmesan and basil. Enjoy!
Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.2. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat a large oven-safe Dutch Oven over high heat, sear the ribs on both sides. 3. Reduce the heat to low. To the pot, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, wine, carrots, onion, pickled jalapeños, Italian seasoning, and season generously with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Stir the sauce to combine. Add the parmesan rind and garlic. Cover and roast in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone. During the last hour of cooking, remove the garlic. 4. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins. Add both the butter and cloves to a skillet set over medium heat. Mash the garlic into the butter, allowing the butter to brown and some of the garlic to get crispy. Remove from the heat. 5. Remove the parmesan rind. Shred the ribs and add them to the sauce. Stir the garlic butter into the sauce. Serve over pasta. Top with parmesan and basil. Enjoy!
Notes
Italian Seasoning: Mix 2 tablespoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, and 1 teaspoon dried sage. Store in a sealed container.
Hi!
Making this for people who do not drink nor do they like having wine in sauces- could you make without wine / what could substitute for wine? (I know most times people say it “cooks out” but guests have strong preference for no wine)
Hi Tara,
You bet, you can use broth in place of the wine:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish! xT
Made this tonight and it was a hit! I used half the amount of short ribs but rest of recipe same. Served over egg noodles but would be delish with mashed potatoes. Make sure to drain your sun-dried tomatoes. I used half the amount of butter at end. I spent a lot of time trimming all the fat off the short ribs when they were done cooking and recommended doing so. You can find Parmesan rinds in deli section at H‑E‑B. I also buy red cooking wine to have on hand for cooking because I like to drink the regular red wine.🤣 They also have white, sherry, and marsala-I keep all varieties on hand.
I cook her recipes at least once a week-follow her her on FB!
Hey Amy,
Happy Monday!!😎 I appreciate you making this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
This is a good sauce and easy recipe to follow. I prepped the short ribs and carrots the night before and popped everything into the crockpot in the morning. Like others said, it is very oily and also expensive for all the ingredients. I only used 4lbs of short ribs due to cost and it was plenty of meat. Another option would be to cut the recipe in half, because it makes a lot of sauce! Enough for 3-4 dinners for my family of 3. I also skimmed the oil off, as others suggested.
One thing I love about Italian is how adaptable it is to preference. This meat sauce is a great base for exactly that!
Hey Laura,
Fantastic!! 🌴🍌 I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad it turned out well for you! xT
My first experience with the tomatoes. I had to follow you link about them to really appreciate the depth of flavor they would bring. The sauce thickened as it cooked I felt. It has a very rich flavor that is so different from the sauce I’ve made for years. I’m a seasoned cook but not extensively knowledgeable about melding flavors so I appreciate getting to know different ones and experiencing them. It is a bit of an expense but I love it!!
Hey Diane,
Wonderful!!😃 I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your comment, so glad it was a winner! xx
It’s a true Monday, and I think the continual cold weather is freezing my brain cells…
Quick question…2 cans (28 oz) crushed san Marzano tomatoes. Is that a total of 28 oz, or each can is 28oz? Not sure why, but I can’t convince myself one way or the other today. Thanks 🙂
Hey Melissa,
Lol no worries, it’s 2 cans, each 28 ounces:) I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you have any other questions! xT
My question exactly! Thanks!
This was insanely expensive to make. $40 on ribs alone and then at least $20 for the San Marzano tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, etc. I wanted to love it for that reason but I’m sitting here miffed because the end product was a greasy, thin sauce with floating with tomatoes, onions, and carrots. I had to use an immersion blender to partially blend and create a thicker sauce that would stick to noodles. I wouldn’t make this again but my opinion is do not cook the ribs in with the sauce. They create so much fat and grease that it ruins the sauce. I would do them separately in the oven and do the tomato sauce by itself. We haven’t eaten it yet but I’m anticipating extreme heartburn from all the grease.
Hi Noelle,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! xx
Hi! Can you use boneless short ribs?
Hi Joanna,
Sure, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
This was great! I skimmed most of the fat and skipped the butter (still sautéed and mashed the garlic).
Hey there,
Amazing!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it!! Have a great weekend! xx
This looks delicious! Would you mind telling me where you found that pasta?! It’s the best part of lasagna noodles, but more of it!! Thank you!
Hey Erin,
Here is the link for the noodles:
https://shopstyle.it/l/bMlQv
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
So delicious! Perfect simmer sauce for an elevated dinner
Hey Claudia,
Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you:)
I am so thankful for this website!! ALL your food i have cooked is next level delicious and there isn’t one recipe pic i don’t want to make, seriously! I’m in complete bliss heaven and just wanted to thank you so much for your crazy efforts.
Hey Carol,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! xx
Please, do you have a recommendation on which bottle of red wine would work well in this recipe ??
Hi Carol,
I like to use a cabernet sauvignon. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Could this also be made in an instant pot?
Hey Macee,
I’ve not tested this in the instant pot, but I could cook on high pressure for at least 45 minutes. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try! xT