Chunky Crock Pot Tomato Sauce

The secret to good spaghetti sauce is, in my opinion, cooking it very slowly and for a long time. Using a crock pot is the perfect solution! This sauce is great because of all the nutritious vegetables in it, and because it is versatile. I make it without the ground beef for meatless Fridays, with the beef at other times. We pour it over pasta, serve it with spaghetti squash in the fall, or spread it on pita bread to make "pita pizza." All quantities are approximate, so don't be afraid to play around with the ingredients a little.

• Ready In: 4 hrs
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 4  cups tomato paste
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole tomatoes, cut up
• 1  cup  chopped fresh zucchini
• 1  cup  chopped fresh mushrooms
• 2⁄3 cup  grated carrot
• 1⁄4 cup  minced green pepper
• 1⁄4 cup  minced onion
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1  bay leaf
•  salt and pepper
• 2⁄3 lb ground beef (optional)

Directions

1. If using the ground beef, brown it, then drain off the excess grease.
2. Combine all ingredients in the crock pot.
3. Cover and cook on high for about 4 hours.
4. Check the consistency an hour before it is done; if it's too thick, add a little water, and if it's too watery, leave the lid off so that it can reduce somewhat.
5. For Vegetarian/Vegan omit the ground beef or use a Vegetarian/Vegan ground meat sub.