Slow Cookin' Meaty Sauce, Garlic Bread & Salad

This was the first time I've made "sauce" in the crock pot and we were not disappointed in the flavor at all. In fact it was really really good. The recipe called for Italian sausage, however, I used Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage and it was dang tasty. Next time, I might add a little red wine, maybe a cup just to add some more authentic flavor. But really it didn't need it, that's just me trying to figure out how to tweak or add to a recipe. The nice thing about cooking sauce in the crock pot it is that you don't have to worry about cleaning up the stove from the sauce "spitting" all over the place.

I cooked the sauce for 11 hours total. I did stir it twice during the cooking process but I am not quite sure that you have to do that. I had to taste it several times just to make sure it was on the right path towards flavor town. I also made some garlic bread and creamy Italian dressing to go on our salads. The recipes for those are also below...

Slow Cookin' Meaty Sauce

Serves 6-8 

Meat Sauce over Rigatoni pasta

ingredients

• 1 lb ground chuck (coarse grind)

• 1 lb hot ground sausage

• 1 large white onion, minced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes with onion & garlic, drained

• 2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

• 3 bay leaves

• 1 tsp dried oregano 

• 1 tsp dried basil

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

directions
Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat, add the meats and cook until well browned. Drain and add to slow cooker. with the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 12 hours.

I tasted mine and added some S&P about halfway through the cooking process.

Boil some of your favorite pasta and toss with this delicious sauce and some freshly grated cheese. Serve with salad and garlic bread as well.

Garlic Bread

 ingredients

• 1 loaf french bread, halved
• 1 head garlic, cut top half off
• S&P
• EVOO
• butter

directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400º. Place the head of garlic in the center of tin foil, drizzle some EVOO over the cut side of garlic cloves. Sprinkle with S&P and bring the sides of the foil up over the top of the garlic, sealing tightly.

2. Bake for 45 minutes, remove from oven, open foil and let cool. Reduce oven temp to 350º.

3. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic onto a small plate. Add some kosher salt and mash with a fork until it turns into a paste. 

4. Lather the cut sides of the bread with some butter and equal amounts of the garlic paste. Place cut sides of bread back together and wrap tightly with foil. Bake for 10 -12 minutes until the bread is warmed through. Slice and serve.

Creamy Italian
Makes 2 cups

 Salad with Creamy Italian Dressing

ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 6 Tbsp red wine vinegar

• 4 Tbsp each sour cream and EVOO
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped parsley

directions
Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until thoroughly combined. Place in a container that has a tight fitting lid and let sit in fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. 

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Damn Delicious Blog & Food Network Magazine.