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Slow cooker napoletana sauce
15 min
6 Base Servings
Tasty napoletana sauce with optional tofu protein, cooked with a slow cooker. Served tossed through pasta of your choice and with vegan parmesan.
Fill your kitchen with enchanting trattoria aromas without tending a stove with this magical Slow Cooker Napoletana Sauce. By allowing sweet plum tomatoes, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and herbs to meld gently over six to eight hours, you achieve incredible slow-cooked sweetness effortlessly.
Why This Recipe Works
The closed environment of a ceramic slow cooker prevents volatile flavor volatiles and delicate herb oils from boiling away into the air. Over hours of low, gentle heat, natural fruit sugars within the tomatoes caramelize gently, entirely eliminating the need for added refined sugar.
Chef's Pro-Tips
- Batch cooking & freezing: This recipe doubles seamlessly! Freeze leftover portions in mason jars or silicone bags for instant weeknight gourmet pasta dinners months later.
- Finishing touch: Stir in fresh basil leaves and a generous swirl of raw fruity extra-virgin olive oil only AFTER turning off the heating element to protect their delicate aromatic bouquets.
Ingredients
6 Servings
- 1 olive oil to cover saucepan base
- 3 brown onions, finely chopped
- 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoonoregano
- 2 teaspoonsalt
- 2 teaspoonsground black pepper
- 5 gramslightly dried basil
- 700 gramstomato purée
- 1 cupwhite wine
- 500 gramsfirm tofu, cut into cubes (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until onion has softened.
- Add garlic, oregano, salt, black pepper, basil, tomato purée and wine into the slow cooker.
- Move cooked onions into the slow cooker.
- Optionally add tofu.
- Mix altogether.
- Cook on high for 4 hours and 30 minutes.
- Serve sauce tossed through 750g of pre-cooked pasta of your choice and with vegan parmesan.