Slow Cooker Stewed Tomatoes
Easy slow cooker stewed tomatoes recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Full of fresh tomatoes, green peppers, celery, onion and Italian herbs.
I don’t know about you, but I always have so many tomatoes from my garden at the end of the summer! I love this recipe so that I make sure all those fresh, juicy tomatoes don’t go to waste! A few other tomato based recipes I like to make to use up that summer produce is Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Pasta, Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce, and Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce.
How to make easy slow cooker stewed tomatoes recipe from scratch?
- Boil- Tomatoes for a few minutes.
- Transfer– Tomatoes to an ice bath.
- Remove Skins– From tomatoes and roughly chop.
- Add– Tomatoes to a large crockpot.
- Mix in- Green pepper, celery, onion, garlic, ginger, Italian seasoning, paprika, red chili flakes, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
- Cover and cook– on High until all the veggies are softened.
- Turn off– Heat and mix in fresh basil and discard bay leaf. Enjoy!
What are the best tomatoes to use for stewing?
You can really use just about any type of tomato for this recipe, but some of the most common used for stewing include Beef and Roma tomatoes.
How to peel fresh tomatoes? Why peel them?
The easiest way is to blanch the tomatoes. This means to boil them for a few minutes and then transfer them to an ice bath. After which the skins peel off very easily, leaving a nice, smooth skinless tomato.
How to thicken stewed tomatoes?
Make a corn starch slurry by using equal parts corn starch and water and slowly whisking it until fully blended and smooth. Allow time to simmer in order to thicken.
What is the difference between stewed tomatoes and whole peeled tomatoes?
Stewed tomatoes have a distinct texture as well as added spices, unlike the whole peeled tomatoes that are all natural without any added spices or cooking time.
What to serve with homemade old fashioned Italian stewed tomatoes?
Potatoes-
- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Ranch Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Twice Baked Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes (In Foil)
Meat-
Pasta-
How to use them?
There are so many possibilities with this recipe!
Use it for dipping- Let breads soak up the extra moisture. This Slow Cooker Jalepeno Cornbread would be a great option. You can also use regular corn bread, crusty artisan bread, or a dinner roll.
Use it for topping- You can add it as a topping (or a dressing) for a green salad as well as for various pizzas or pastas, such as Slow Cooker Pasta or . One of my favorite ways to use stewed tomatoes is by topping of some of my favorite soups, such as Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup, Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup, or Slow Cooker Cabbage Soup. Using it for nachos or as a salsa for tortilla chips is an easy and delicious use as well.
Use it for filling- Fill a sandwich with this yummy, fresh mix or add it in with your one of your favorite sandwiches. You can even switch up the flavor a bit for this Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich.
Mix ins- These stewed tomatoes are a great addition to tomato based sauces, such as spaghetti sauce, to thicken it up and add some chunky flavor. If not a topping, you can also mix in to various soups as well.
Canning method
Variations
Make it spicy- Be sure to add in the optional red chili pepper flakes, hot sauce, or chopped jalepenos.
Try different spices and herbs- You can experiment with different spices, including chili powder and taco seasoning for a more Mexican flare.
Add sugar- For a sweet taste, especially in dips!
Add in zest- To give this a little zip, such as adding lemon or lime zest.
Add in protein- Make it a more filling dish alongside others and include some shredded chicken, shredded beef, bacon bits, or sausage.
Tips and techniques
Adjust herbs and spices- According to your preference and desired spiciness.
Blanch tomatoes to remove skins- Because you don’t want to leave the skins on in this recipe. Blanching also is the easiest and most effective way to remove the skins.
Use fresh ingredients- Especially with the ginger and basil. Don’t use the already dried spices in a bottle, ecause you will lose a lot of flavor.
Discard bay leaf before serving- Because this is used only for flavoring and you don’t want to forget it in the dish to have a guest find it later.
Finely chop pepper and onion- Because you want the roughly cut tomatoes to stand out and all the other vegetables to blend into the background.
Storage
Fridge- Place in a sealed container and store for up to 5 days.
Freezer- Place in a sealed container and store for up to 1 month.
More one pot vegetarian recipes
- Slow Cooker Creamy Sprouts
- Slow Cooker Corn Dip
- Slow Cooker Garlic Mushrooms
- Slow Cooker Candied Carrots
- Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
Slow Cooker Stewed Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Tomatoes, Any variety of your choice, Washed
- 1 Green pepper, Diced or finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Celery , Diced
- 1 Onion, Finely chopped, Medium size
- 3 cloves Garlic, Finely minced
- 1 tsp Ginger , Freshly grated
- 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning, Adjust according to your preference
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1/4 tsp Red chili flakes, Optional
- Salt, To taste
- Pepper, To taste
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 tbsp Fresh basil, Washed, Patted dry, Finely chopped
Instructions
- Add tomatoes to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.
- Transfer tomatoes quickly to an ice bath for about 1 minute. This allows them to stop cooking.
- Remove tomato skins and roughly chop them. Remove/ discard the stem portion.
- Add these softened skinless tomatoes to a large crockpot (6 quart or larger).
- Add green pepper, celery, onion, garlic, ginger, Italian seasoning, paprika, red chili flakes, salt, pepper, bay leaf.
- Mix until combined.
- Cover and cook on High heat for 3-4 hours or until all the veggies are softened.
- Turn off heat and mix in fresh basil and discard bay leaf. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheated in the microwave or stovetop.
