Name: Slow-Cooker Easy Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce
Total time: 5 h
Ingredients: 1/2 onion , chopped fine; 3 tablespoons tomato paste; 3 garlic cloves , minced; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried; Salt and pepper; 1 1/4 pounds cherry tomatoes , halved; 1 tablespoon instant tapioca; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Why This Recipe Works

What we love about this recipe is how easy it is to assemble, as slow-cooked cherry tomatoes, when combined with lots of fresh herbs, needed little embellishment. First, we simply microwaved the aromatics—onion, garlic, and oregano—with tomato paste and a little oil until softened and added them to the slow cooker along with halved cherry tomatoes. In the slow cooker, the tomatoes collapsed and softened, becoming even sweeter and more flavorful as they absorbed some of the flavor of the aromatics. To ensure that our sauce had the right texture, we added a little tapioca. Still, the sauce wasn't quite thick enough, which wasn't surprising given that the slow cooker allows for almost no evaporation, so at the end of the cooking time we simply mashed the tomatoes a little with a potato masher. To finish, we added a dose of basil and parsley for freshness.

Instructions

Cooking time: 7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on highSlow cooker size: 3½ to 7 quarts

Microwave onion, tomato paste, garlic, oil, oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes and tapioca. Cover and cook until tomatoes are very soft and beginning to disintegrate, 7 to 8 hours on low or 4 to 5 hours on high.

Using potato masher, mash tomatoes until mostly smooth. Stir in basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.