No Peel Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce

Norma’s Notes

When it’s fresh tomato season, you can quickly become overtaken.
Don’t panic, as this slow cooker recipe is an easy and delicious way to use ripe tomatoes.
There is no need to peel your tomatoes; wash them thoroughly and take the stems off.
The butter mellows the acidic bite of the tomatoes and helps thicken the sauce.
The sauce will be very hot when cooked, so you may want to let it sit for an hour or so before blending.
The water content and acidity of tomato varieties vary.
Letting the sauce simmer to thicken will also enhance the flavour. Feel free to tweak the herbs and spices to your taste.
As you work on perfecting your tomato sauce recipe, you may want to try adding carrots, celery, and or peppers.

Ingredients

10 cups fresh tomatoes, washed, stems removed

1 large onion, sliced

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried parsley

2 tbsp butter

6 tbsp sugar

8 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water (optional)

Directions

Put all ingredients into the slow cooker and stir until the olive oil and spices coat everything.
Place the lid on and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours.
Remove the lid and let simmer for another 30 - 60 minutes until it’s reduced to your desired thickness. Stir occasionally. OR
Add the cornstarch/water mixture to thicken.
Place an immersion blender into the slow cooker and blend until the sauce is smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the sauce to a blender or food processor.
Freeze cooled sauce in desired quantities in plastic bags or containers OR process in a hot water bath to seal in glass jars.
Yields approximately 8 cups of sauce.