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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:Â 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.
Hello, just stumbled upon your amazing recipe!! Dying to try it! Please– could you tell me the name of the red wine you used? Thanks!
I recommend using a wine you like to drink. I use Napa Valley Cabernet. Let me know if you have questions. Thank you!
Just made this today — so very yummy, thanks for the recipe. I added all the spice and it had a great kick. This is going in the regular rotation for cold, winter Sundays! I am so looking forward to the leftovers.
SO happy you liked it!! Thanks so much Linda!
This looks amazing and those photos are so appetising.
Thanks Tieghan
Thank you Sabrina!
Hi Tieghan,
I made christened my shiny new Crock Pot with this recipe yesterday and it turned out excellent. I can’t wait to make the mashed potato recipe you just posted this morning; it looks awesome! And a lot less work than traditional boiling. I’m really excited to try it! If it works out well this week I’m definitely going to make it for my folks to help out with Thanksgiving this year. I hope you’re doing well!
I am so happy you enjoyed this Gwen, and I hope you enjoy the mashed potatoes too! Thanks so much!
Made this last night for my fathers 95th birthday dinner. Amazing! I love the fact that we just browned the ribs and the butter and threw everything else in at about 9am. After a day of errands and wine tasting, we just needed to boil some pasta and shred the meat. I substituted about half of the pickled jalapeños for some Calabrian chili sauce and added a touch of sugar at the end to soften the tartness of the tomatoes. Most times tomato sauces aren’t nearly as good the first day. This one is!!!! I can’t wait for the leftovers tonight!!! We used 4lbs of short ribs and have enough for leftovers tonight. Sent some home with my parents and have 2 batches of sauce left in the freezer! This recipe is a keeper!!! I highly recommend.
Wow sounds so amazing! I am so happy you love this Joanne! Thanks!
I made this and it was DELICIOUS. It made a huge pot! I had some friends over and served this with red wine, egg noodles, and good bread. Everyone loved it! Then I had a ton left. I froze it and the next week I made a huge lasagna! The meat soaked up all the sauce so I had to add two cans of sauce to it, for the lasagna. The lasagna was AMAZING.
Thank you for this awesome recipe! I LOVE YOUR BLOG
This sounds so amazing Alika! I am so happy this recipe was so great for you and the lasagna sounds amazing! Thank you!!
Tiegan, I love your blog!
And I hope I spelled your name correctly, ha!
But, girl, what are you doing drinking coffee straight? the only time I ever did that was when I was in the hospital, and my latte options were limited.
You need some nice organic coffee beans (I like Allegro), some all-natural filters (the white ones give my coffee a funny taste), some organic cream or half and half, and a packet or two of Sugar in the Raw.
You can use other sweeteners – I’ve fond of the occasional splash of maple syrup, especially in the autumn – but I keep coming back to Sugar in the Raw. It’s the right amount, I don’t have to measure, and it doesn’t taste artificial.
Some people say coconut milk is in your coffee, but I have weird stomach reactions to whatever coagulant they use in it – carrangean? which is really seaweed – so I’m not such a fan of that.
Think of coffee, milk, and a good-quality sweetener as triplets. Don’t go anywhere without the other two. Have fun drinking coffee! 🙂 And try an espresso shot if you REALLY need to stay awake. But I highly recommend making your own at home, Starbucks makes a bitter shot anymore.
Hey Emily!
You comment has me laughing! I actually drink coffee black now and love it, but your suggestions sound amazing! THANK YOU!
I made this month’s ago, and it’s one of my favorite recipes ever! Do you think the sauce would freeze well? I have a mountains weekend coming up in the fall and would love to serve an easy, amazing dinner our first night!
Hi Joni! This sauce freezes great! So happy you love it! Please let me know if you have questions. Thanks!! Have a great mountain weekend!
loved this site certainly goes to my favorite thing only delicious congratulations
Thank you so much!! SO happy you like everything!!
I’ve made this a few times and we LOVE this recipe. I have it in the crock-pot at home right now and just wanted to give thanks for sharing this recipe. So, thanks!! 🙂
Ah YESS!! Thank you! I am so happy you like it!!
Sooo delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and I made sure to add a Parmesan rind. I also used my immersion blender in the crockpot before I added the shredded meat back in… it was the perfect consistency and had such a great flavor. I froze the rest of the sauce and can’t wait to make a lasagna with it! Thank you.
Your welcome!! Glad you loved it!!
I made this and it was great! Thanks for sharing
So happy you love this! Thank you!!
Do you think I could use beef broth instead of the wine? Wine is a migraine trigger for me so I avoid it as much as possible.
Yes, beef broth will work great. Hope you love this, thanks!
I have grown very fond of making a variety of Sunday sauces and utilizing a slow cooker whenever I can – anyhow, this is the best thing to ever come out of my kitchen! Brown butter drizzled short ribs – how can one go wrong? Awesome.
I have made this several times and I love it more each time. I served this dish to one very finicky friend and he had seconds so this is an absolute keeper in my book. I have tried several recipes and liked them all. Thank you so much for the recipes!!!!!