#1,592: Crockpot garden spaghetti sauce

I have A LOT of fresh tomatoes coming from my garden and I have already made salsa and pizza sauce, so it was time I made some spaghetti sauce as well.  I liked this recipe because it was simple and required throwing everything into the crockpot.  I didn't even bother sauteing the onions and bell pepper because I knew I was going to puree it after it was cooked.  One less pot/mess/step.

This got a little bit of mixed reviews from my group, but mommy's vote counts as most...and I loved it.  The seasoning is off a little (but I had to reduce the amounts because I didn't have as many tomatoes that the recipe called for) so I added more salt and basil for my liking, but overall so simple and really, really good.  My hubby wasn't a huge fan (but he likes a really thick, spicy and honestly gross spaghetti sauce...if you can call it that) because of the texture the seeds give it.  It was a great recipe to use up my fresh tomatoes though!!  I had to alter some of the ingredients because I didn't have 16 cups of tomatoes!  I only used about 60 large cherry tomatoes that I had from my garden.  

4 onions, chopped (I used one)
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used about 2)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used about 1/4 cup of olive oil)
16 cups chopped tomatoes (I used about 60 large cherry tomatoes)
2 tablespoons dried oregano (I used about 1 tbsp)
2 tablespoons dried basil (I used about 1 tbsp)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup white sugar (I used about 1/8 cup)
2 tablespoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

Original directions:
In a small pan, saute together the onion, garlic, green pepper, and vegetable oil. Cook until onion is transparent. Add to slow cooker.  Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, basil, parsley, sugar, salt, and ground black pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 hours on low heat. Stir frequently.  Let sauce cool. Pour sauce into quart size freezer containers. Store in freezer.

When ready to use sauce, stir in can of tomato paste.

My version:
Combine all of the ingredients except the tomato paste in a crockpot.  I used large cherry tomatoes and didn't bother to chop them up.  Cover and cook on HIGH for about 4 hours.  Tranfer to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree.  Season additionally to taste.  Add tomato paste to help thicken up the sauce (I needed the whole 6 oz can).