Slow Cooker Marinara

My new blog crush is Budget Bytes. I referred to Beth's recipe for crockpot refried beans when I went bean crazy recently, and I pinned her black bean quesadillas and slow cooker marinara, among other recipes. Now I am drooling over her no-knead breads, so jealous of how fluffy they are!! (My last few loaves have been a little dense, but tasty.)

One feature I love on her site is the cost breakdown for her meals. I'm on a self-imposed low food budget, and I'm trying to do as much make-ahead convenience food as I can for when my school and work schedules pick up in the fall.

I decided to try the Budget Bytes slow cooker marinara, since I had the crockpot out from yesterday's beans, anyway. Plus I am having fantasies about freezers full of homemade food.


I increased the recipe based on what I had, so I used:
2 large cans (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 large can tomato puree (what's the difference in terms of how they work in a sauce? no clue.)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 yellow onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP sugar
1 1/2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
3 bay leaves
fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

I chucked everything in the slow cooker except the basil, and set it on low for 8 hours. There were 2 reasons for waiting on the basil. First, I didn't want to cook fresh herbs in the slow cooker for 8 hours, because I thought it would be a waste. Second, I didn't have pants on anyway and the basil is growing out back.

The cost came out a bit lower than the Budget Bytes' breakdown, not that I'm competitive or anything, mostly because I got my tomatoes on sale.
3 cans of tomatoes, $0.67 each = $2.00
1 can tomato paste, $0.50
2 onions, who knows, can we call it $0.50?
Spices - let's call them a dollar so I don't have to do that math.

So for roughly $4.00, I have the equivalent of 3 jars and change of homemade pasta sauce. Considering I buy my jarred sauce at rock bottom prices, unless it's an emergency, I think I will probably break even on cost and come out ahead on flavor. I'll take it!

The verdict: It's smooth and has a deep flavor, a little bitter. It's a little much just on bread, but perfect on a bowl of pasta. I added some red pepper flakes and garlic powder at the end, and totally forgot to put the fresh basil in. I have to use some basil before the bugs eat the rest of it. Ugh. I bagged it in quart bags, squished them flat, and put 4 bags in the freezer, right on top of my crockpot refried beans. It's going to be a delicious fall!