This spring has been cold and miserable so far. It’s the beginning of May and normally, weather permitting, I would have dusted off the old barbecue by now. However, circumstances being what they are (constant snow and rain storms) I decided to stick with a nice warm meal typically only made during the winter months. Get a load of this warm and filling crockpot spaghetti sauce recipe.
My favorite part of using a crockpot to make meals is the small amount of prep time and the hands-off cooking. Prepare this recipe in the morning, cook it on low for 8 hours, come home from work and your meal is ready and waiting!
I like to call this recipe Mom's Spaghetti due to the fact that this is an adaptation of the recipe my mother would make ALL the time growing up (as well as a reference to the movie 8 Mile). This being her favourite meal, she used to tell me that she could eat spaghetti every week and never grow sick of it. Unfortunately, my personal pallet runs in a different direction (Hello sweet tooth!) but I still really enjoy this recipe on a cold day.
The only major change I've made to this recipe over the years is the switch from ground beef to crumbled tofu. I find the tofu makes a less greasy sauce than the ground beef.
This spaghetti sauce is completely vegan. Filled to the brim with vegetables and crumbled tofu. Both firm and extra firm tofu work in this recipe; however, the latter will hold its shape better. No tofu press needed here since we are crumbling the tofu. Break off pieces with your hand and squeeze out as much excess water as you can, then crumble the tofu into small chunks. Season the tofu with salt and pepper; letting it stew in the spaghetti sauce for so long allows the tofu to become infused with its flavour.
Did I mention that this spaghetti sauce also has a ton of vegetables!? Lots of tomatoes, a large green pepper, a white onion and one container of your favorite mushrooms (I use baby king mushrooms). You can also add a couple stalks of chopped celery if desired; chef’s choice!
Side note: I used to HATE mushrooms until relatively recently. I am a self-professed texture eater and I could not stand the texture of cremini and white mushrooms. Lucky for me my local grocery store stocks a ton of different mushroom varieties. After plenty of experimentation I found a couple mushroom varieties that I absolutely love. So for those of you that dislike certain ingredients don't give up hope!
This recipe is pretty customizable depending on your personal preferences. Do you prefer a sweeter sauce? Spicier? Extra celery? Ground beef, chicken or turkey instead of tofu? All completely possible. If you like it sweet add up to 1 teaspoon of white granulated sugar. For a spicier sauce add up to 1 tablespoon of chili pepper flakes. For a meat lover's version substitute the tofu for up to 2 pounds of your favorite ground meat broken up into large 1 inch chunks.
Most slow cooker recipes have two different cooking times depending on your schedule. The long and slow method means cooking the recipe on low for 6-8 hours, where as, the short and fast method means cooking on high for 3-4 hours. Whenever possible try to cook using the long and slow method. Generally, the flavour will be superior. You can stir the sauce while it's cooking however, keep in mind that every time you open the lid some heat escapes affecting the overall cook time. Try to limit your stirring to once or twice.
Near the end of the cooking time, in the last half hour, add the tomato paste and some extra oregano and basil to thicken the sauce and boost the flavor, stirring well.
The leftover sauce can be frozen for longer term storage up to a month. Keep in mind that the vegetables will lose a bit of their structure upon being reheated. Reheat on the stove on medium-low.
Slow cookers are wonderful. You put all the ingredients in it, go about your day and when you come back at supper time your meal is finished. Easy peasy! They can also hold a ton of food which is great for leftovers. This recipe is vegan but can easily be converted to a meat lover’s version, a recipe for everyone's preference.
Stay tuned! Next week I will be sharing a lasagna recipe that repurposes your leftover spaghetti sauce.
Crockpot Crumbled Tofu Spaghetti Sauce
- Yield: 12 servings |
- Prep time: 15 min |
- Cook Time: 6-8 hrs |
Ingredients:
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2 (28 oz ) cans diced tomatoes, pureed
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1-2 cup tomato sauce, or V8
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3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
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1 1/2 tbsp dried basil
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1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
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1-3 tsp red pepper flakes
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1/2 tsp ground celery salt
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salt and pepper to taste
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1 lb extra-firm tofu, crumbled
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1 green bell pepper, chopped
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1 white onion, chopped
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1 (200 g ) container white mushrooms, sliced
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1 (13 oz ) can tomato paste
Directions:
1. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce or V8 juice, garlic, celery salt, chili pepper flakes, salt, pepper, 1 tbsp of oregano and basil to the slow cooker.2. Add the crumbled tofu -squeezing out any excess water first, the green pepper, onion and mushrooms.
3. Stir all of the ingredients until the sauce is well combined.
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
5. In the last half hour of cooking, add the tomato paste and ½ tbsp of both oregano and basil. Mix well. This should thicken up the sauce nicely.
6. Serve over spaghetti noodles and enjoy.
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