Crock Pot Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

If your garden tomatoes have been as bountiful as mine have this year, you have tomatoes coming out the wazoo and can't find enough recipes to use them all up!  Thankfully, I found this easy-peezy crock-pot tomato sauce recipe.  I don't have the patients, or time, for canning tomato sauce, so this recipe was just what I needed, and the sauce can be safely stored in the freezer so it can be enjoyed for months to come (if it lasts that long)!

Crock Pot Freezer Spaghetti Sauce
(makes about 4 quarts)

Ingredients:

• 4 onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (I usually put extra in for extra garlicy flavor)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 16 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 cup vegetable or olive/grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

Directions:

1.  In a slow cooker, saute together the onion, garlic, green pepper, and vegetable oil. Cook until onion is transparent.

2.  Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, basil, parsley, sugar, salt, and ground black pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 hours on low heat. Stir frequently.

3.  Let sauce cool. Pour sauce into quart size freezer containers. Store in freezer.

4.  When ready to use sauce, thaw, heat over stove and stir in can of tomato paste.  Feel free to add other ingredients that you prefer in your tomato sauce - I like ground turkey and mushrooms.  Serve over pasta dish and enjoy!

Note:  Foodsafety.gov says that you should use frozen soups and stews within 2-3 months of freezing.