Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce

Apparently my quest for finding an “edible” gluten-free/paleo-ish pasta isn’t over yet.
Although two months ago I sweared I wouldn’t waste any more money on ‘fake’ pasta...I did it again.
Are you guys familiar with ‘recidivism’?
In criminal law it's defined as the relapse into criminal behavior. Basically you commit a crime over and over again, even after experiencing negative consequences of that crime.
OK, I won’t go as far as saying that buying shitty gluten-free pasta makes me a recidiv felon, but repeating the same action, and expecting a different result, makes me at least some sort of dumb-ass — as per my friends words. Yeah, THANK.YOU.GUYS.
And gluten-free pasta can be quite expensive too; ergo I’m dissipating my income.
But as I like to tell myself “If you don’t try it, there's no way of knowing if you'll like it” so I’m still at it.
The gluten-free pasta quest is still on.

This time I tried a quinoa pasta (gluten & corn free). I had high hopes because the online reviews of this particular brand were all quite positive.
However, the party was soon over.
The moment I drained the pasta (which were spaghettis), I could already tell, just by the look of it. that the pasta was a horrible mushy mess.
In general, I’m open to sacrifice a slight taste or texture difference on the altar of health, but gluey pasta?
Nope, sorry, can’t do.
Because if there's one thing I really despise, it's over cooked or spongy pasta. I like my pasta to be al dente, a bit crunchy.
This is - yet again - another gluten-free pasta FAIL.

There’s a silver lining in all this though. The Crock-Pot roasted pepper and tomato sauce I made for the pasta was awesome.
For one, it’s uber easy to make. Open a jar, a can, peel the onion and garlic, just throw everything in and fugget about it.
After a couple of hours your kitchen is gonna smell like a thousand bucks.
And it’s going to be good. SO SO good.
I was surprised how creamy and delicious this turned out. And there’s no butter or heavy cream; just a bit of olive oil and some ricotta cheese.

This sauce is so delicious, it actually saved the dish.
A couple of “Hey, why is this pasta so soft?” were heard around the table, but all of the spaghettis were gone before I could offer seconds. Validation.

Crock-Pot Roasted Pepper and Tomato Sauce                                                   Print this recipe!

This recipe makes for about 3 cups of sauce. Be free to double (or triple) the batch and make as much sauce as your crock-pot can hold. It freezes very well and keeps in the refrigerator up to a week.

Ingredients
Makes about 3 cups

1 jar 12 oz / 340 gr roasted red peppers in olive oil (I used Delallo), drained
1 can 28 oz / 400 gr good tasting crushed/diced tomatoes (I used San Marzano)
3 shallots (or small onion), peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (plus more to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 to 5 tablespoons ricotta cheese (I used Organic Valley)

Directions

Combine all ingredients (but the ricotta) in the Crock-Pot and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
Let cool for 10 minutes. Add ricotta cheese and using an immersion blender (or in a stand blender) puree’ until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust with seasoning, and add more ricotta, if you like.
You don’t own a Crock-Pot? Fear not my friend. You can cook this on the stove.
Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pan, cover with a lid and cook for 2 hours over (very) low heat. But keep an eye on it and give a good stir every now and then.

Nutrition facts

1 cup of sauce yields 216 calories, 8.6 grams of fat, 27.3 grams of carbs and 8.6 grams of protein.