Sundried Tomato and Caper Pasta Sauce CrockPot Recipe


Day 244.

That title is a mouthful. It's the last of the tomato recipes! If you still have some tomatoes on hand, and they're beginning to get squishy, this is a great way to use them up if you aren't in the mood for a heavy marinara.

These aren't tomatoes that I grew. I have never successfully grown anything other than the children. And morning glories. But my mom has a great tomato crop, and we live close by to an awesome produce stand.

This is a great, easy pasta sauce with a bit of a bite due to a handful of sundried tomatoes and capers. I was supposed to toss in some frozen peas at the very end to make it more of a full meal, and I completely forgot. We didn't miss them, but I'm going to add them to the leftovers.

The Ingredients.

--1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and rinsed
--5 fresh tomatoes, chopped
--1 medium onion, minced
--8 garlic cloves, chopped
--2 T capers, drained
--1 T Italian seasoning
--1/2 cup frozen peas, optional
--fresh Parmesan cheese, optional
--1 pound cooked pasta (I used Trader Joe's brown rice penne)

The Directions.

Use a 4-6 quart crockpot for this sauce.

Chop up the tomatoes, garlic, and onion and toss them into your crockpot. Add the tablespoon of Italian seasoning. After draining and rinsing off as much of the oil as you can from the sundried tomatoes, add 1/4 cup of them whole to the crockpot. Chop up the remaining 1/4 cup, and then add that. Stir in the 2 T of drained capers.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in the frozen peas 20 minutes before serving. Toss the sauce with hot cooked pasta. Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese.

The Verdict.

This was a great meal, and we all really enjoyed it. My kids aren't quite sold on capers, but they enjoy pasta a lot, and ate quite a bit.

This was a great dinner on a Saturday night. I love turning the crockpot on during a weekend morning---it saves us from ordering take-out on a busy day.

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Posted by: Stephanie O'Dea | A Year of Slow Cooking at August 31, 2008

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What they say about this article

  1. Anonymous8/31/2008

    oh good. I was beginning to hate you for growing such perfect tomatoes.
    lol.

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  2. Anonymous8/31/2008

    mmm. this sounds wonderful.

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  3. That title is a mouthful.

    Throw in some Greek olives and call it Puttanesca.

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  4. Oh Yum Another Winner. I just happen to have sun-dried tomatoes in the cupboard thanks Steph.
    xo

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  5. Oh this looks divine. Seems you have an abundance of fresh tomatoes lately, huh??? :)

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  6. Now you have me thinking about sundried tomatoes; can I dry them myself? I have many more than we can use for salad toppings.

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  7. I love capers and sundried tomatoes!! I will have to try this one!!

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  8. Anonymous8/31/2008

    The tomato recipes have all looked so good. And all easy too! I will have to try that soup...but have you tried Progresso tomato soup? Has that sweet and tangy taste, not bad for a canned soup. More tomatoes for me, please!

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  9. i tried this sauce last week and added chicken thighs to it. it was fantastic and definitely a go-to recipe for the future. in fact, i'm going to make it again this week!

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  10. Anonymous5/19/2009

    Has anyone tried adding bone-in chicken breast to this? Do you know how long the chicken would be able to cook? Also, should it go in frozen or defrosted?

    Thank yall for your help!!! :)

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  11. Hi anon, you can certainly add chicken! It doesn't matter if it's frozen or fresh. Chicken will need 3-4 hours on high to cook through, or about 6 on low. The only concern about cooking with bone-in chicken is that the chicken may fall apart in so much liquid and leave you with tiny bones in your sauce.

    --steph

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