I can truly never go wrong when it comes to pasta around our house. Lazy Weeknight Lasagna is always a favorite. One recipe that we love is this red sauce. It’s simple to make and delicious. I don’t really have a “traditional” red sauce recipe, I use the normal base of ingredients but like to try adding a new ingredient in every once in a while. This time, I decided to add some carrots into the batch to tweak the recipe a bit. This recipe has a bit of good flavor and you can add more to suit by adding in some Italian sausage! I like to make red sauce in a big batch – at least double or triple the ingredients and freeze it in quart size portions.

Crock Pot Red Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 large onions, diced
• 4 carrots, peeled and diced
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 6 lb can diced tomatoes (12 cups)
• 6 to 8 cups water (depending on size of your crock pot)
• 2 Tablespoons salt
• 2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
• 2 Tablespoons dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 pounds Mild Italian sausage (optional)

Directions:

1. In large pot, heat olive oil and cook onion, carrots and garlic until softened.
2. Add diced tomatoes and water to crock pot. Stir to mix thoroughly, then add spices and sausage if you wish.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over your favorite noodles or use in lasagna.

What’s a favorite pasta dish in your family? Share it with us so it can become our favorite, too.