Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

One of the best comfort foods is spaghetti with meat sauce, in my opinion! But, it is made even better with homemade pasta sauce instead of the canned, pre-made stuff. Now, in the middle of winter you may have to rely on canned tomatoes to make this (unless you have a bunch canned from your garden last summer), but I still think it tastes better then the jarred sauce. And I am most definitely going to grow more tomatoes this year to make my own garden-fresh sauce! I made a double batch of this a few weeks ago and froze most of it to enjoy yet this winter. It's very versatile to use in other ways, too, like for lasagne or manicotti. Also, I did a mixture of italian sausage and ground turkey to cut the calories a bit. Tweak as you wish, as always!

Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce

• 1-1/2 lbs bulk italian sausage
• 1 cup diced onions (about 2 medium)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 cans (8oz) tomato sauce
• 2 cans (6oz) tomato paste

Brown up the italian sausage, drain, and pour into slow cooker. Then add all remaining ingredients. Use at least a 4 qt slow cooker. I doubled it and it fit fine into my 6 qt cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 2-10-14**

This week’s recipe is easy to throw together, you may have all the ingredients on-hand already. I am a fan of ranch flavored anything, so I was pretty sure I would like this recipe before making it, and I was right! It’s Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken!

SLOW COOKER RANCH CHICKEN

• 1-1/2 lbs. skinless boneless chicken breasts
• 6-8 medium potatoes, chopped into large pieces (I used red potatoes)
• 2 cups baby carrots
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 package dry ranch dressing mix (or 3 Tbsp)
• 1/4 cup milk
• parsley to put on top when serving (optional)

You may want to spray your crock before adding ingredients. Place carrots and potatoes in the slow cooker, then lay chicken on top.  In a separate bowl, mix together soup, ranch mix, and milk. Pour over chicken in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Use the sauce as gravy on chicken and potatoes when serving.

Crock Pot Monkey Bread

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 2-3-14**

This is one of those recipes that makes your house smell AMAZING while it cooks! Plus, it is an easy one to include your kids or grandkids in the prep for some extra fun and family time.

CROCK POT MONKEY BREAD

• 1 tube refrigerated biscuits
• 1/4 cup belted butter
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup brown sugar

Cut biscuits into quarters with a knife or kitchen shears. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter in another small bowl in the microwave. Spray your crock pot with non stick spray. Take each dough piece and dip it into the butter, then into the cinnamon sugar mix, evenly coating the dough. Place into the crock and build up a pull apart bread in it. If you have leftover cinnamon sugar and butter, pour it all over the top!

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. I shifted some of it around after an hour to make sure each piece cooked evenly.

Scoop out and enjoy the warm gooey yumminess!!

Crock Pot Cowboy Casserole

**originally posted on www.WGLR.com on 1-27-14**

One of the nice things about a slow cooker is how you can make a complete meal in it, with all the fixin’s! This week’s recipe is just that, a full meal in your crock pot, Crock Pot Cowboy Casserole! Casseroles aren’t just for your oven! This one is full of potatoes, veggies, meat, beans, and of course, CHEESE! All the cowboys and cowgirls in your house will love it.

CROCK POT COWBOY CASSEROLE

1 onion, chopped

1 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained

6 medium potatoes, sliced (I used about 10 red potatoes)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can corn (drained) or 1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 (16 oz.) can low sodium kidney bean, with the juices

1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with the juice

1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese

This recipe needs a 6qt crock pot. Mix all ingredients together EXCEPT the cheese in the crock. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-ish. Then sprinkle cheese on top and continue to cook for another half hour to an hour.  Scoop out to serve.