Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce

I will pretty much never buy jarred spaghetti sauce again!  I found this recipe, courtesy of tastykitchen.com, and I am never looking back.  So amazingly easy, so incredibly tasty, and I control exactly what is in it!  And best of all, it requires no attendance, as the slow cooker does all the work for you.  The instructions say you can double this recipe to make leftovers to freeze for another time (if your slow cooker is big enough).  I sort of doubled it... I just kept adding stuff until it was full.  I've posted the recipe as is, with my changes in [brackets] for your reference purposes.  
*Note: My full crockpot made enough to feed us to satisfied the original night, plus a medium-large container in the fridge for leftovers the next day (see Lumberjack Eggs), plus both a large (650 g/ 23 oz) & a small (453 g/ 16 oz) yogurt container full for the freezer.  

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce
Ingredients:
1 pound Italian Pork Sausage [I used ground turkey. You could do beef too, or a combination]
1 small onion, chopped
2 cans (14 oz) diced tomatoes (with juice) [I used 2 large cans of whole tomatoes, chopped to oblivion with my chopper... because I'm weird about tomatoes...]
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce [I think I did 2 cans]
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic, minced (3-4 cloves, depending on taste) [I used 5, as I was kind of doubling it]
½ tsp salt
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
½ tsp dried thyme [I couldn't find my thyme so I replaced it with 1 tsp Herbs de Provence]
1 Tbsp brown sugar [I may try palm sugar next time]
red pepper flakes, to taste [I ground mine up, so they would blend better]
1 handful of Parmesan cheese, grated [totally forgot to add, but will next time!]
[optional add ins:]
2 carrots, peeled, and coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
1 leak, white part only, chopped
2 small zucchini, finely grated
any other veggies of your choice -- whatever you have on hand... (see below for original suggestions)

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, saute onions in 1 Tbsp oil, until soft, then add meat and brown completely, until no pink remains.
2. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and place on a paper-towel-lined plate. Pat it dry with paper towels to remove excess grease.
3. Into the slow cooker, add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste.
4. Add cooked sausage to the slow-cooker tomato mixture.
5. Add bay leaf, garlic, salt, oregano, basil, thyme, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. The latter is to your own taste (I recommend 1/4 teaspoon to start). If your family can’t take the heat, you can leave out the red pepper flakes, and the sauce is still delicious!
6. Add Parmesan cheese and stir all ingredients a few times to incorporate spices and cheese evenly. Turn the slow cooker on Low and let simmer for 5-6 hours.
7. You can also load this sauce up with tasty veggies for a chunkier consistency and unique twists.
Optional ingredients: eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, roasted red peppers, spinach, mushrooms, other Italian cheeses, or substitute pork for ground beef or turkey.

If your Crockpot is big enough, you can easily double this recipe and freeze extra for those nights you’re just too tired to cook.