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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.
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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
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
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.
If using a chuck roast, how many pounds would I need.
Hi Vita,
I would use about 3 pounds of meat. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Do the jalapeños add spice to this or just flavor? I have some spicy adversed kiddos 🙂
Hey Amy,
Since they are pickled jalapeños they really don’t have much spice, but you can totally leave them out:) I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
I have to be honest the combination of ingredients sounded so random. Pickled jalapeños and sun dried tomatoes?? It was so awesome! My family loved it! The short ribs at our grocery store were incredibly fatty so I probably would use a chuck roast next time. I highly recommend this meal!!!
Hey Meghan,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Hi Tieghan! How long do you think frozen leftover sauce would last? Thank you so much, love your recipes!
Thanks so much Mary Ann!! I would say 3 months for the frozen sauce. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Made this with a beef chuck roast- it was fantastic! A perfect fall, warm & hearty meal!
Hey Amy,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃
The flavor of this sauce is AMAZING! I cooked it on low for 10 hours.
I made one change. My store only had 4 meaty short ribs so I browned 1/2 lb of Italian sausage with the onion.
I’ll definitely make this again.
Hey Lisa,
Happy Monday!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was a winner! xT
I have a large crockpot but could not fit all the ingredients in it. Next time I will make a lot less sauce. The flavor is good, but I felt the meat got lost in all the sauce.
Hi Judy,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you didn’t love the sauce. Let me know if you give it another try! xT
Made this on the slow cooker setting in my instant pot and it was delicious! However, it came out with quite a bit of liquid so seemed more like a stew than a sauce… any idea why this might have been and how I could thicken it up next time?
Hey Tanisha,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out!! Sometimes the slow cooker setting on an instant pot doesn’t give quite the same results as the real slow cooker. To thicken the sauce, you could allow it to simmer or add a cornstarch slurry. I hope this helps! xT
If I were to sub in frozen meatballs would you recommend them going in the crockpot all day with the sauce?
Thanks!!
Hi Jessica,
Yes, that would work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope this recipe is delicious! xx
K. Not Italian here, however, I have a Sunday gravy recipe that I have made for YEARS out of an old book that my Mom purchased from the Hill in St. Louis. It is delicious. This recipe blows that out of the water! Don’t skip on one step here, use ALL the added ingredients she calls for, and you will be rewarded with a pot of incredible meaty goodness. Well done, Tieghan!
Hey Kris,
Happy Monday! 👻 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Happy Halloween! 🎃
Where do I find that kind of noodle and what is it called? It looks like the edges of a lasagna noodle.
Hi Jenny,
Here is the link for the noodles:
https://shopstyle.it/l/bMlQv
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Love the serving dish you used here! Could you share a link? Thank you!
Hi Ashley,
So sorry, I do not have a link for this dish! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
Oh. My.
So, SO good.
A little bit of heat and loads of flavour!
I changed one item only. That was using boneless pork short ribs instead of bone in. Due both to the price and worrying over getting all the bones out.
Will definitely make again!
Hey Barb,
Fantastic!! 🍁🍂 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xT
Short ribs are pretty expensive where I live right now. Is there any other, cheaper cut of beef that would work?
Hey Cortney,
You bet, a beef chuck roast would be great! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xx
Really good – tw0-helpings from the 17 year old. Didn’t have those noodles so used fettuccine noodles and worked fine. I also used one 28oz of crushed tomatoes not two, and one can of diced tomatoes. Made a HUGE amount of sauce! I used the oven method and it smelled so good!
Hey Donna,
Happy Wednesday! I really appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad it was a winner! 🤩