My husband said he couldn’t taste the vegetables – you heard it here.

I actually came up with this one myself. It’s definitely a recipe you can adjust to your own preferences, or what you have on hand.

The main things here are the fresh basil, which adds a lot of flavor, and the carrots and red pepper flakes, which add sweetness and spiciness respectively. You can adjust the carrots and red pepper as you wish, depending on how sweet or spicy you like a sauce.

You can also cook longer if you like a thicker sauce, or not so much if liquid-y is your thing – this is fairly thick.

Also, for the canned stuff, I use “no salt added” so I can control how much salt goes into it.

Ingredients:

• 2 (28 oz) cans whole, peeled tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, minced
• 2 celery stalks, minced
• 1/2 white onion, minced
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• red pepper flakes, to taste
• salt and black pepper, to taste

You can also throw in other vegetables. I’ve made it with diced mushrooms, bell peppers would be good, etc.

Pour the two cans of tomatoes into a large bowl, and crush up the tomatoes. I do so by hand.

Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.

Mix well. Cook on high for 8 hours, or to your preference, stirring on occasion.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.