Clean Italian- Take 1

The house smells divine today! I have an insanely busy schedule so I let my crock-pot do the work for me.

On the menu tonight: Quinoa Shells with Hearty Tomato Sauce:

-3 cans (28 oz. each) organic diced tomatoes OR 6 cans (14.5 oz. each) organic diced tomatoes. I'm still looking for jarred tomatoes, no luck yet
-1 can (6 oz.) organic tomato paste
-1 cup water
-4 carrots, peeled and diced
-1 large onion, diced
-6 to 8 cloves garlic, minced
-4 Tablespoons dried basil leaves
-2 Tablespoons dried oregano leaves
-1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1 Tablespoon honey
-1 teaspoon sea salt -1 teaspoon black pepper -1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, optional

Place canned tomatoes, along with their juice, in a large 5 to 6 quart crock-pot. Add in tomato paste, honey and water, stirring to mix.

Place chopped carrots, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, and cayenne pepper into crock pot. Stir all together to combine.

Place lid on crock pot, leaving it cracked slightly to allow steam to escape. Turn on high and allow to cook for 6 to 8 hours. Taste for seasoning and adjust according to your taste

Puree sauce with a stick blender in the crock-pot until desired consistency in achieved. Mine will be super smooth so the kids don't know they're eating veggies..shhhh

Stir in olive oil and cheese (optional)