Fix-It and Forget-It Revised and Updated: 700 Great Slow Cooker Recipes (77 page)

1¼-lb. ground beef

½ lb. ground pork

1 cup chopped onions

½ cup chopped green peppers

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 35-oz. cans Italian tomatoes

2 6-oz. cans tomato paste

1 cup dry red wine,
or
water

2½ tsp. dried oregano

2½ tsp. dried basil

1 bay leaf, crumbled

¾ cup water

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 Tbsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ cup dry red wine,
or
water

1. Brown bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove. Add ground beef and pork. Crumble and cook until brown. Stir in onions, green peppers, and garlic. Cook 10 minutes.

2. Pour tomatoes into slow cooker and crush with back of spoon.

3. Add all other ingredients, except ¼ cup wine, in slow cooker.

4. Cover. Bring to boil on High. Reduce heat to Low for 3-4 hours.

5. During last 30 minutes, stir in ¼ cup red wine, or water.

Sausage-Beef Spaghetti Sauce

Jeannine Janzen

Elbing, KS

Makes 16-20 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 6½ hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 5-qt.

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. Italian sausage, sliced

2 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes

¾ can (28-oz. tomato can) water

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. pepper

2 Tbsp.
or
more parsley

2 Tbsp. dried oregano

2 12-oz. cans tomato paste

2 12-oz. cans tomato purée

1. Brown ground beef and sausage in skillet. Drain. Transfer to large slow cooker.

2. Add crushed tomatoes, water, garlic powder, pepper, parsley, and oregano.

3. Cover. Cook on High 30 minutes. Add tomato paste and tomato purée. Cook on Low 6 hours.

Note:

Leftovers freeze well.

Italian Spaghetti Sauce

Michele Ruvola

Selden, NY

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-9 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 5- to 6-qt.

2 lbs. sausage,
or
ground beef

3 medium onions, chopped (about 2¼ cups)

2 cups sliced mushrooms

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 14½-oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

29-oz. can tomato sauce

12-oz. can tomato paste

2 Tbsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1. Cook sausage, onions, mushrooms, and garlic in skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 8-9 hours.

Note:

This is also a good sauce to use in lasagna.

Chunky Spaghetti Sauce

Patti Boston

Newark, OH

Makes 6 cups

Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 3½-8 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt.

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

½ lb. bulk sausage, browned and drained

14½-oz. can Italian tomatoes with basil

15-oz. can Italian tomato sauce

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

8-oz. can sliced mushrooms

½ cup dry red wine

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. minced garlic

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on High 3½-4 hours, or on Low 7-8 hours.

Variations:

1. For added texture and zest, add 3 fresh, medium-sized tomatoes, chopped, and 4 large fresh basil leaves, torn. Stir in 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper.

2. To any leftover sauce, add chickpeas or kidney beans and serve chili!

Easy-Does-It Spaghetti

Rachel Kauffman

Alto, MI

Lois Stoltzfus

Honey Brook, PA

Deb Unternahrer

Wayland, IA

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3¼-8¼ hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt.

2 lbs. ground chuck, browned and drained

1 cup chopped onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 15-oz. cans tomato sauce

2-3 tsp. Italian seasoning

1½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2 4-oz. cans sliced mushrooms, drained

6 cups tomato juice

16-oz. dry spaghetti, broken into 4-5-inch pieces

1. Combine all ingredients except spaghetti and cheese in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 6-8 hours, or on High 3-5 hours. Turn to High during last 30 minutes and stir in dry spaghetti. (If spaghetti is not fully cooked, continue cooking another 10 minutes, checking to make sure it is not becoming over-cooked.)

Serving suggestion: Sprinkle individual servings with
Parmesan cheese
.

Variation:

Add 1 tsp. dry mustard and ½ tsp. allspice in Step 1.

Kathy Hertzler

Lancaster, PA

Slow-Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

Lucille Amos

Greensboro, NC

Julia Lapp

New Holland, PA

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 7 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 4-qt.

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 14-oz. cans diced tomatoes, with juice

6-oz. can tomato paste

8-oz. can tomato sauce

1 bay leaf

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. dried basil

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

½-1 tsp. dried thyme

1. Brown meat and onion in saucepan. Drain well. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Add remaining ingredients.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 7 hours. If the sauce seems too runny, remove lid during last hour of cooking.

Mom’s Spaghetti and Meatballs

Mary C. Casey

Scranton, PA

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-5 hours

Ideal slow-cooker size: 5½-qt.

Sauce:

¼-½ cup chopped onions

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp. oil

29-oz. can tomato purée

29-oz. can water

12-oz. can tomato paste

12-oz. can water

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. Italian seasoning

½ tsp. dried basil

⅛ tsp. pepper

¼ cup diced green peppers