Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce

You know those days when you just don't want your stove on all day, yet you want a yummy, slow simmering pasta sauce to serve over spaghetti? You know what I mean. That's right. Well, why not just start the sauce in a frying pan (onions, peppers, garlic and meat), then throw that and the rest of the ingredients into your slow cooker and let it just simmer all day. Well, for about 4 hours, in my case. The house smells yummy and the small amount of prep work is so well worth it. Well, if that's what you are looking to do, look no further. This recipe can be tweaked to your liking. It's basic and uses ingredients you can easy find and might already have in your cupboards. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 

Slow Cooker Pasta Sauce

2 tablespoons olive or canola oil

1 lb ground chicken (ground beef, if you prefer) 

2 mild Italian sausages, casings removed

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 large green pepper

1 teaspoon (or more) jarred minced garlic, or 4 or 5 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon dried basil

2 Tablespoons dried oregano 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Sauté the onions and green pepper in oil in a non-stick frying pan for about 5 minutes, just to get them starting to cook. Add the ground chicken (or beef) and the Italian sausages to the onions and peppers.  Chop up the meat as it cooks (with a spatula), breaking up any big chunks so it cooks evenly. Add the garlic, basil, oregano and black pepper to the pan and stir until throughly mixed. Let it cook for about 5 minutes. Pour this meat mixture into your slow cooker. 

Add these remaining ingredients to the slow cooker: 

1 - 700ml (almost 3 cups in imperial measures) jar of your favourite spaghetti sauce (in this case I used Catelli Garden Select Parmesan & Romano as it was lower in sodium)

1 large can no-salt diced tomatoes

1 398ml (medium) can no-salt tomato sauce

1 tablespoon sugar (yep)

1/4 cup oat bran (the fine stuff, used in muffins and eaten as hot cereal) I used this to thicken sauces. 

1/4 cup (or more) grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese

Stir all these ingredients together and simmer in your slow cooker for about 4 hours on high (if you are home for the day) or 6 hrs on the low setting. I know it says to not check on food in the slow cooker but, in this case, stir the sauce once every hour (if you are home) to help all the ingredients marry and to make sure your sauce is not sticking to the crock pot. 

Enjoy the sauce over your favourite pasta or use it in your lasagne recipe. You won't be dissapointed! 

Mexican Lasagna

What a better way to celebrate the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo than to have a serving of this yummy Mexican Lasagna for supper. I have had this a few times and thought it was high time I tried it out myself. Out of 3 different recipes, I chose our favourite ingredients and came up with this winner. I hope you all get a chance to try it out sometime. It's yummy! Let me know how you do with it. 

Mexican Lasagna

2 lbs ground beef or ground chicken

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped
1 package taco seasoning mix

1 cup salsa (mild, medium or hot)

1 14 oz can fire roasted tomatoes

1 14 oz can black beans, rinsed

1 10 oz can sweet kernel corn

10 - 6" flour tortillas

3 cups shredded cheddar (or mozza/cheddar mix) cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. 

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef (or chicken) with the onions in 2 tablespoons olive oil until no longer pink, making sure to break up the meat as it cooks to break up any large pieces. Add, and mix in, the taco seasoning. After a few minutes, add the salsa, fire roasted tomatoes, black beans and kernel corn. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes or so, to blend in all the flavours. Take it off the heat. 

To prepare the lasagna, cut the tortillas in half (they will fit better in the pan). Place one layer of meat mixture in the bottom of a deep, greased casserole or lasagna pan. Next, arrange cut tortillas around sides and down the middle of the pan. Cover with another layer of meat sauce, then spread one cup of shredded cheese evenly across. Repeat layers two more times, finishing with the last cup of shredded cheese. 

Bake, uncovered for 40 minutes, or until lasagna is nice and bubbly and the cheese on top is slightly browned. 

Enjoy!! 

Filets Broccoli Bake

Here is a most delicious fish dish that I have been making for years. Very tried and true. It's an adaptation from a recipe I received, back in the 80s, that I've tweaked to suit our taste. It serves 4 but, depending on the size of the fish filets, it might only serve 2 or three. A very healthy dinner to make when time is an issue and it's also lovely enough to make for company. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do. 

Filets Broccoli Bake

4 medium fish filets (sole, haddock, or other white fish) 

3 medium heads of broccoli, florets only, chopped bite-sized 

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth, heated

Pinch of salt, pepper and paprika

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese 

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F. 


Rinse fish filets and set aside.

Place rinsed broccoli in a microwave safe casserole or bowl and cook on high (with only the water that was used to clean them) for 2 minutes, or until slightly cooked. Set aside.  

Make a white sauce by placing 2 tablespoons of butter (or margarine) in a 2 cup measure and heat, in the microwave, just until melted. Add 2 tablespoons flour and mix quickly and well. Pour 1 cup of chicken broth into the butter flour mixture, and mix vigorously until blended well. Season with a dash of salt, pepper and paprika.  

In a greased 9 x 11 casserole dish, spread broccoli on the bottom, cover with the fish filets, then with the white sauce and finish by spreading the shredded cheese all over the top. 

Bake, uncovered, in a 400 F oven for approximately 30 minutes or until sauce and cheese are bubbly and the fish is cooked through. 

Serves 4.