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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.
Made this today —super delicious!! Added balsamic vinegar and more salt / Parmesan at the end to suit our taste. Next time, I’ll up the red pepper flakes / jalapeños. Toddler approved, too!
That is so great! Thank you Kathy!
I ❤your recipe so much! It’s my favorite spaghetti sauce now. I just got an instapot… do you know if i can make this sauce inthe pressure cook mode?
HI! Yes, this will be great in the instant pot. I would try cooking on high pressure for 20 minutes on the meat setting. I think that should be fine, but I have not tested it so I cannot say for sure. Please let me know if you have any other questions. So glad you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
Tieghan,
Where can I find those plates you used?
Thanks,
D
Hi! The metal plates are from Etsy. Just search vintage pie plates and they have tons. The ceramic plates are from Anthropologie, but they are a few years old and they do not carry them anymore. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! x Tieghan
Oh my, I made this with boneless short ribs and followed recipe only adding 1/4 cup or more brown sugar at the beginning
this is guest worthy.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Mary!
My sauce seems a little runny, should that be the case?
If your sauce is runny, just leave the top off for 30 minutes to an hour before serving. That will thicken the sauce up! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Hi Tiegahn, I’ve made this several times as is, and my family loves it. It’s not always easy to find short ribs for a decent price though, and I’m wondering if you’ve ever made this with beef chuck with similar results. Also, do you think I would be able to speed things up in a pressure cooker or do you think the sauce would be too thick?
I Have never made this with beef chuck, but other readers have and have had great success! I think this would work well in the pressure cooker, but i have not tested this so I can’t advise you on cooking times. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
As I was making this recipe for my husbands’s birthday dinner, I found out your brother won the gold. Congratulations to all of you and especially Rec. we wil. Will enjoy tonight’s dinner even more!
Awh that is amazing! I hope you love this! Thank you Liz!
If I wanted to freeze the leftovers, how long would you recommend it can be frozen for?
I would say up to 3 months. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Hi Tieghan!
This is one of my favorite recipes of all time. I have been making it for years and my family loves it. I just got an Instant Pot and really want to make it in there so I can enjoy it even more quickly. Any suggestions or tips on how to do this with a pressure cooker? Thanks so much!
Thank you!! Yes, you can make this in the instant pot. I would follow the directions just like the crockpot, but instead set the instant pot to the meat/stew setting and cook for 30-45 minutes, then use the natural or quick release and then finish as directed. hoping this helps! Please let me know if you have other questions. Thanks! 🙂
Is there a similar recipe you can suggest that doesn’t require the crockpot?
HI! You can simply just cook this on the stove top over low heat for 2 1/2 to 4 hours. That will work great!! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Happy Holiday’s 🙂
I’ve never cooked short ribs before and we now have a new favorite recipe in our home. It was DELICIOUS!!! We have enjoyed it twice already. It freezes well!
That is so great to hear! Thank you Amanda!
I I’ll definitely give this a go yummy
Great! I hope you like it!
This turned out really well! The spices were unlike the usual short rib/tomato recipe that I usually make and I really enjoyed mixing it up. There was a lot of fat on top of the sauce, not sure if that was the 6 tbsps of butter or from the short ribs? I just skimmed it off. I left out the pickled jalapeños, sounded a little wild for me. For those of you planning ahead, I put the slow cooker on high and it skewed more towards 6 hours than 4 hours (and I did a little over 4 lbs of short ribs).
Will Definitely make again, it was a big hit 🙂 Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Erin! I am so glad you loved this! Thank you!!
love your site – am making sunday sauce tomorrow morning – not sure on the cans of tomatoes – you have 2 ounce cans then it state 28 —- i am probably reading it wrong…
thank you in advance
I am SO sorry for the confusion, recipe has been fixed to read correctly. it is 1 (6 ounce) can tomato past and 2 (28 ounce) cans tomatoes. Hope you love this and let me know if you have other questions! 🙂
I made this sauce for the first time this weekend. It was freezing where I live, and I wanted something comforting and hearty and easy. SO GOOD! It was like enjoying a bowl of warm hugs. The sauce filled my 6 qt Crockpot, so I have lots of awesome leftovers to freeze and enjoy later. THANK YOU!
I am so thrilled you love this Andrea! Thank you so so much!!