Healthy Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Remove the casings from the sausage and chop into bite-size pieces. Add to the pan and sear the sausage. Once it is brown (it doesn't need to be cooked through), lower the heat to medium.
3. Use a wooden spoon to move the sausage over to one side of the pan. Add the onions, garlic, and ground beef to the other side of the pan. Break up the ground beef, avoiding the sausage (you want bigger pieces of sausage).
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes, until the ground beef and sausage are no longer pink and the onions are soft.
5. Add the wine to the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes or so until the wine has cooked down some.
6. Scrape everything into a large crock pot.
7. Meanwhile, use a food processor to chop the carrots. Get the pieces pretty small, but don't do it so much that it liquifies it.
8. I left the carrots in the food processor while I pulsed the zucchini as well. See photos.
9. Add the veggies to the crock pot, along with the tomato sauce, tomato paste, and the fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
10. Add the Italian seasoning, the thyme, basil, oregano, brown sugar.
11. Add the bay leaves, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.
12. Stir everything together, put on the lid, and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
13. Garnish with fresh chopped basil. Makes about 9 cups.