Slow Cooker Pepper Tomato Marinara Sauce for Vegan Meatballs

Last Saturday I was at the McGinnis Specialty Store in Monroeville PA for their Authors Event featuring 17 authors who showcased their books to the public.  A couple of my own friends who have published books were there namely, Sally Lipsky and Margaret Soboslay.  Sally has just recently published her book       while Margaret featured two of her published books.  See photos below. Sally's kindle version of her book is free till this Thursday, September 21, 2017 at Amazon.com.  Hurry and order! Click on the book below to order.

Margaret with two of her published books.  They are also available at Amazon.com.  

This event was organized by the indefatigable McGinnis Monroeville events coordinator, Karen Novak. She also has been the organizer for many years of the McGinnis Book Club which I belong to.  In fact several authors who have been guests at our book club monthly event were at this Authors Event.  Here are the pictures I took of some of the authors as well as vendors who shared tasting samples of their goodies.

I had to hurry home since my husband was singing at the Filipino dance recital of the Philippine American of Performing Arts of Greater Pittsburgh (PAPAGP) Association  that same afternoon. I had the option at McGinnis to eat one of their fabulous lunch menus or take home some awesome to go items but instead I could hardly wait to go home to eat the Vegan Spinach Sweet Potato Meatballs in the easy amazing Pepper Tomato Marinara Sauce.  It is that haunting and delicious. Even my picky taster my husband gave it a thumbs up.

I have featured this meatball recipe in the past where I have suggested to use store bought marinara sauce from a jar.  In this blog post, I am highlighting an easy but amazing sauce made from just four ingredients to use with these meatballs. Here is the simple easy peasy recipe.

Slow Cooker Pepper Tomato Marinara Sauce for Vegan Meatballs

This was inspired by the ingredients I saw in the Mancini Brand Marinara Sauce

• 2-14 oz can stewed tomatoes (Note 1,2)
• 1 bottle grilled piquillo peppers in water (Note 1,3)
• 2 tbsp dry onion flakes
• 1 tbsp dry garlic flakes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1\4 cup parmesan cheese (see this vegan parmesan recipe)
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• vegan meatballs or other type of meatballs (see this recipe)

Combine all the ingredients except the meatballs in a slow cooker and mix well.  Place the baked vegan meatballs (see this vegan recipe) on top of the sauce. Cook for 3 hours at high or 6 hours at low.  I did mine in an Aroma brand rice cooker/slow cooker for two hours at slow cooker setting.

You can also do this in a skillet. If you do, allow the sauce mixture with the baked meatballs on top to first boil and then simmer.

Notes

1. I prefer to add the tomatoes and peppers whole but you can chop them or even blend them after cooking for a more homogeneous mixture.  I like putting the sauce in my hoagies even without any meatball so I prefer them both whole for texture (see photo below).

2.  Stewed tomatoes are sweeter than the other types.  I highly recommend them. But you can use other types of canned tomatoes.

3.  Piquillo peppers are one type of peppers which are milder.  I again highly recommend them. But again you can use other types of bottled peppers.