Kaylee's not-a-blog » Food » Meals » pasta, with onions, diced tomatoes, meat sticks

Spring 2022, butane prices rose dramatically (about three times normal), so I experimented with using my crockpot for pasta type meals, using a short backpacker cooking pot nested inside the crockpot.
The lightweight nested pot is easy to insert & remove from the crock, and it's much easier to clean.
I quickly found that the key is to heat the water for about one and a half hours on Low, then add the pasta at the very end.

• about half a can (size: 400~ g, 14~ ounce) of diced or stewed tomatoes
• about half a chopped onion
• meat sticks, chopped up (I use about a half to one ounce)
• about a cup and a half of water (enough water to cover everything, plus a wee bit more (about a finger thickness))

• add all of the above, mix :)
• cook in crockpot for about one and a half hours
• add about a quarter of a pound of pasta
• add spices (I use Italian Seasoning and Garlic powder)
• continue cooking in crockpot for about a quarter to a half hour, until pasta is desired tenderness
• [optional] add cheese (in particular: Parmesan)

This approach means no straining, which saves effort and wastes zero water. :)
This produces a sauce with zero to very few undesireable "extras" (salt, suger), yet costs much less than high end "natural" sauces.
The sauce is simultaneously watery and truly chunky. :)
I genuinely enjoy this far more than canned/jarred pasta sauce. :)

Pictures:

All ingredients, except pasta, ready to cook:

Final, ready to eat: