Katie
Last night, I broke out my slow-cooker and made a pasta sauce in it. I have never done this before. Normally when I make a bolognese I use Giada’s great recipe (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/simple-bolognese-recipe3/index.html). But I knew I wouldn’t be home until late tonight (thanks to grad school), so I decided to try this recipe that I found in my Pillsbury FAST Slow Cooker recipe book.
I’ve used the book many times before and have always been pretty happy with the outcome. Tonight, it was just so-so. The sauce was too sweet (the recipe called for 3 tablespoons of sugar – I added it all but was unsure as I did) and it had too much onion (in my opinion). I also prefer ground meat instead of sausage pieces in my bolognese. There was also way more sauce than pasta. (I definitely was craving a piece of Barefoot’s garlic bread to mop up my leftover sauce.) Overall, it was an okay bolgnese (definitely quick to throw together in the crockpot). Not sure if I would make it again (I think I’ll stick with Giada’s recipe). Regardless, here it is:
- Cut about 1.5 pounds of Italian sausage into 1 inch chunks.
- Combine in your slow cooker with 1 large onion, chopped, and 2 cloves of garlic, minced (I used 2 medium onions and 4 cloves).
- Add 1 big can crushed tomatoes and 1 small can of tomato sauce.
- Add 12 ounces of tomato paste (I ended up only having 6 ounces in my pantry, so that’s all I used).
- Add 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Stir to combine, cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours (I cooked on high for 4.5 hours since I started this at 6:15 pm).
- Serve over cooked pasta.
I think I am just accustomed to Giada’s with the carrot, celery, and ground beef. It’s a great sauce. Try that one before this one! 😉
It did look nice though…
