Homemade Crockpot Roasted Red Pepper Spaghetti Sauce

I love spaghetti but I hate that I buy the sauce from a jar! They add so much junk to it, it hardly is really "light" or "healthy". So today I took the plunge! I googled a bazillion sauce recipes until I found a couple that gave me a good general idea of what to do and that was simple enough! I hope you enjoy this!

Mine made about 1 "jar" or 3 cups worth. Double/triple for your preference. If you use more tomatoes or onion or even add more veggies or meat etc, your nutritional information will change from what is listed below! 
 
Be sure to add your meal into your myfitnesspal app and to weigh/measure out all of your portions!

Serves 2-4 people
Time: 4-5 hours*

What you'll need:
1.5 Lbs of Fresh Tomatoes (any kind, I used what I had Fresh Ripe Vine and Fresh Roma)
8 oz Yellow Onion
4 cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Red Pepper
.2 oz Basil (5-10 leaves)
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper
*1 small can Tomato Puree if needed*

Directions:
1. Grab Crockpot, lightly spray with cooking oil
2. Depending on how you like your sauce, either dice or simply cut up your Tomatoes and Onion and throw into the Crockpot

3. There are many ways to roast peppers. This is what I choose; roasting your Red Pepper: wrap Red Pepper twice in Aluminum Foil, place on gas stove top, medium heat, flip every 5 min for a total of 20-25 min. Take off heat and let it cool. Once cooled peel off charred skin (I leave some on to add to that smokey flavor), take out stem and seeds (you can leave the seeds in for extra spice). Dice and throw into Crockpot

4. Add all Spices including the Garlic and Basil into the Crockpot

5. Set on High for 3-5 hours-the longer the better
6. You can choose to blend sauce for less chunks and more smoothness, depends on your taste. I used an immersion blender for a few pulses to break up the last of the onions. You could also use a blender or food processor. Add 1/2 small can of Tomato Paste or 1 Tbsp Corn Starch (equal parts water) for thickness if you feel its necessary (I used corn starch)

 *After a dip with an immersion blender:

7. Serve up or throw into a container for later! This freezes well or can be canned! I threw mine into a freezer bag and used it for the next time we had spag night!

**Serve with Spaghetti Squash Noodles and some Ground Turkey to really take this healthy sauce full circle!

1 Serving Size:
1/2 cup Roasted Red Pepper Spaghetti Sauce 40 calories
Total: 40 Calories