Using jarred sauces in a slow cooker can be a quick and easy way to make delicious meals with minimal effort. The moist, low heat environment of a slow cooker breaks down tough meats and vegetables and intensifies flavors over several hours of cooking. While you can certainly use plain water or broth as the base for slow cooker recipes, incorporating jarred sauces imparts lots of flavor in no time. However, not all jarred sauces are well suited for the slow cooker. Read on to learn more about which types of sauces work best and how to use them successfully.
Thick Sauce Options
Thick, tomato-based pasta sauces are ideal for adding big, bold flavor to slow cooker recipes. Marinara, tomato basil, arrabiata, and other chunky tomato sauces will nicely coat meat, vegetables, or beans without getting watery or losing their texture over long cooking. Look for sauces that list tomatoes or tomato puree as the first ingredient.
Other thick sauce styles that are slow cooker-friendly include:
- Barbecue sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Peanut sauce
- Curry sauce or paste
- Tikka masala or other creamy Indian sauces
- Enchilada sauce
- Alfredo sauce
- Pesto
When using thick sauces, you’ll typically add them during the last 30-60 minutes of cooking so they don’t break down too much or scorch on the bottom of the slow cooker insert. Stir them in to coat all ingredients and allow the flavors to meld.
Thin Sauce Options
Thin broth-like sauces can also add flavor to slow cooker dishes, but take a little more care. Beef, chicken, and vegetable broths are classics. Avoid cream-based sauces as they may break down or curdle with prolonged cooking. If using a thin Worcestershire, soy, or hot sauce, stir it in toward the end of cooking.
Some other thin sauces that generally work well include:
- Salsa
- Taco sauce
- Sweet and sour sauce
- Stoneground mustard
- Chimichurri
- Thai chili sauce
- Balsamic vinegar
- Light teriyaki marinade
- Tomato juice or V8
Go light when adding thin wet sauces at the start, using no more than 1/4 to 1/2 cup total. Too much thin liquid too early on can make dishes watery.
Sauces to Avoid
Some jarred sauces don’t work well for slow cooking. Steer clear of:
- White cream sauces
- Cheese sauces
- Hollandaise
- Butter sauces
- Milk-based sauces like bechamel
- Sweet fruit sauces
- Salad dressings with cream or cheese
- Yogurt-based sauces or raitas
These sauces can curdle, break down, separate, or burn when cooked for hours in a slow cooker. Save them for finishing touches once your dish is done.
How to Use Jarred Sauces
Follow these tips for successfully incorporating jarred sauces into slow cooker recipes:
- Read sauce labels and look for natural, high quality ingredients. Avoid sauces with long chemical ingredient lists.
- Use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of thick sauce per 1 pound of meat or vegetables.
- Add thin wet sauces very sparingly at the start, no more than 1/4 to 1/2 cup total.
- Stir sauces into other ingredients well so everything is evenly coated.
- Add more sauce later if needed, but take care not to make the dish too watery.
- Let chunky sauces briefly cook on high at the end to thicken the consistency if needed.
- Add dairy, cream, or cheese-based sauces only at the very end after turning the slow cooker off.
Slow Cooker Sauce Recipes
Here are some delicious recipes showcasing how to creatively use jarred sauces in the slow cooker:
BBQ Pulled Chicken
Chicken cooks to fall-apart tenderness in favorite bbq sauce.
- 4-6 boneless chicken breasts
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is very tender. Shred chicken with forks and stir back into sauce. Serve on buns.
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Tangy pineapple and bell pepper flavors coat bite-sized meatballs.
- 2 lbs frozen cooked meatballs
- 1 cup sweet and sour sauce
- 1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
- 1 chopped red bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- Hot cooked rice
Add meatballs, sweet and sour sauce, pineapple, bell pepper, and soy sauce to slow cooker. Cook on high 3-4 hours. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water. Stir into sauce to thicken. Serve meatballs and sauce over rice.
Creamy Tikka Masala Chicken
Chicken breasts cooked until tender in a creamy, spicy Indian sauce.
- 1-1.5 lbs boneless chicken breasts
- 1 cup tikka masala sauce
- 1 diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1/4 cup cream or coconut milk
- Chopped cilantro
Add all ingredients except cream and cilantro to slow cooker. Cook on low 6 hours. Stir in cream and let sit 5 minutes. Serve chicken topped with sauce and cilantro.
Tips for Success
Making a delicious slow cooker meal with jarred sauces is simple with the following tips:
- Choose high quality, natural sauce ingredients for best flavor.
- Go for thick tomato, barbecue, curry, and nut-based sauces.
- Use thin wet sauces sparingly.
- Avoid breaking down delicate dairy and cream sauces.
- Stir sauces into other ingredients well before cooking.
- Allow chunky sauces to thicken at the end if needed.
- Add creamy sauces after turning off cooker.
Conclusions
Adding flavorful jarred sauces to slow cooker recipes is an easy cooking shortcut. Look for naturally thick tomato, barbecue, Asian, Indian, and nut-based sauces that will hold up well to hours of gentle simmering. Avoid thin or dairy-based sauces that can curdle or break down. With the right sauces and techniques, you can pull together delicious weekday meals with minimal hands-on effort. A slow cooker and a few staple sauces make it simple to get hearty, homemade food on the table for your family.