My Love Affair...

My lovely roommate introduced me to someone who has completely changed my life. I can barely describe how he has improved my evenings. He keeps things hot and heavy, even while I'm at work. He waits for me, cooking dinner while I'm away. I can't believe that I didn't know how exhilarating and easy he was until the last few months...

Mr. Crock Pot

But seriously. I LOVE using a crock pot. My dearest mother claims to own one but I haven't seen it thus far (sorry, busted), so this year is the first time I've really gotten to know him. I've modified several recipes and cut down the prep time by hours, literally. I love using it on Mondays, especially when the weekend has been long and I'm too tired to cook a full dinner when I get home...

Today's recipe is for super easy crock pot spaghetti sauce. I went to a spaghetti dinner last night, and I was excited until I realized there was ground chuck in the sauce... (aka, something I don't eat!) So, spaghetti night got pushed back a day for me.

The original recipe is one my mom made when I was a kid, so it always reminds me of back when. I have modified it for the slow cooker. It can be used in loads of other dishes (so double the recipe and freeze some) such as lasagna, chicken parm, or as a base for pizza. It's a sweet type of marinara sauce, but can easily be made into a meat sauce.

Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef or turkey (optional-only if making meat sauce)

3/4 cup chopped onion

1 tsp minced garlic

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cans (1 pound each) diced tomatoes, not drained

2 cans (6 oz.) tomato paste

1 cup water

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano or basil or Italian seasoning (~2 Tbsp. if using fresh herbs. I used fresh basil from my garden!)

1/2 tsp pepper

1 bay leaf (optional)

1.) Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent, but not brown. (If making meat sauce, brown meat at this stage). Transfer to crock pot.

2.) Combine all ingredients in crock pot and set on low for several hours.

3.) Remove bay leaf and serve however you want! We ate it over angel hair with Parmesan and sides of cheesy garlic bread and arugula/goat cheese/ craisin salad. Delish.

Alright, so presentation wasn't the main point tonight :)

Bonus: Easy Cheesy Garlic Bread

Slice any type of french bread. Place on a cookie sheet. Put a thin layer of margarine on each slice, a sprinkle of garlic salt, and a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Broil on high for two minutes.


Xoxo,
~Anna

P.S. Link to our crock pot! (Super cheap and completely worth it!) Yum. Buy one. Peer pressure.