Perfect Pasta Sauce

I should probably let you all in on a few things about me before I start. I hate to cook and I hate following recipes even more. In fact, I rarely do unless I’m baking and the amounts really will matter. I also have a deep-rooted love for my Crock-Pot.

That being said, this recipe is right up my alley in that it’s a “throw it all in the pot and leave it alone” kind of recipe and there is no measuring, no specific amounts of anything that are needed, and you can vary the recipe to your taste and preference. Can’t get much better than that!

Start off with frozen chicken breasts. I recommend organic, or at least all natural and honestly local free range is the best, but what you've got is what you've got. I use 6 because if I'm going to cook at all I'm going to make enough for another meal. I have a family of 5 and we can eat this for 3 meals. My motto is, make a lot and freeze it. Just throw the breasts in the pot as they are, frozen and all.

Then, get your pepperoni on. Make sure it's the good stuff, uncured from your whole foods store. It's so much better for you and the taste is significantly better too. Don't get sliced, get the links, and cut it up in bite size pieces. How much you use is up to you, but I like a lot.

Next come the tomatoes. I like to do about 4 cups of diced first. Whatever tomato you prefer is fine. I fancy the Roma myself. Then, add your sauce. Fresh, frozen or canned is up to you. That's the great thing about this recipe, use what you have on hand and it still makes a great sauce. I fill up my Vitamix with Romas and set it on high then pour them into the crock. I didn't have enough on hand to do that today, so I used canned.

Next comes the flavor. I add a lot of garlic, around 4T since I adore garlic. I also add in Italian seasoning, sea salt (just a bit), fresh ground pepper, lots of chopped onion, and bay to taste. I've also been known to leave out the Italian seasoning and add cumin, chili powder, and peppers and make more of a chili with it. It's easy to adapt to your mood. Again, fresh is best, but if all you have on hand is dried herbs and spices, don't fret, just throw them in. I'm also a sneaky chef so I add in any puree I have on hand. I am partial to carrots and zucchini in this recipe and it's easy to add a lot and no one is the wiser, so if you have picky kids, make sure to add these too and the sauce will pack more of a nutritional punch.

By now your crock is full and ready to be left to its business. I like to do this in the morning and let it cook on low all day until dinner. Feel free to do it after lunch and cook it on high, it won't change a thing. Now, while it's cooking you might get worried that your sauce looks like the runniest thing you've ever seen. Don't panic, once it's done cooking you just shred your chicken with 2 large forks and it is perfect.

Pour over your favorite pasta or eat it like I do, just as it is in a large bowl with goat cheese crumbled on top. Enjoy!

Kristi Ashley

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