I can tell that I am already getting the itch for a new season because I am starting to break out some recipes that I usually only do in the fall and winter. This is a new recipe but one of my favorite kitchen appliances, especially in the fall and winter, is the crockpot. I love it for many reasons but mainly because it is easy to start dinner and then forget about it. This recipe is a new one I found but I got two thumbs up from Jason and Jack so I know it will stay in our recipe book. Another great thing about the crockpot is most recipes you can make the night before and then stick the crockpot in the fridge and just turn it on in the morning. This saves a lot of time the next day and who doesn’t love coming home to the smell of dinner.
Ingredients: (Looks like a long list but most of this you probably have in your pantry)
2 lbs. sweet or hot Italian sausage
2 yellow onions
1 each green, red, and yellow bell pepper, cut into 2″ pieces
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red cooking wine or water
1 T. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
rice or pasta to serve with
Cook sausage in heavy skillet over medium heat until browned. Layer half of the onions on the bottom of 3-4 quart crockpot, then add half of the peppers. Add all of the browned sausage, then the rest of the onions and peppers. Add bay leaves and garlic.
Combine diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and red wine in a small bowl and mix well. Pour over mixture in crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
One hour before mixture is done, mix together parsley, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Add to crockpot and stir well. Cover and cook for one more hour until sausage is throughly cooked and vegetables are tender. Serve over rice or pasta. Serves 8.
Notes:
* The recipe calls for turkey sausage but it wasn’t available at the grocery store I was at. This would make the recipe healthier if you want to try it.
* I cooked mine for a total of six hours, so five and then add additional spices and add one more hour. The veggies were really done so maybe even go a little shorter but we loved it anyway.
* It suggests serving with rice, we used whole wheat linguine pasta and it was awesome.
* Lastly, another favorite product of mine is the crockpot liners. These make clean up so easy!
Tomorrow we plan to try the leftovers on a hoagie bun with melted provolone cheese. I will let you know how this turns out. My mom suggested this and I thought it sounded great. We are always looking for ways to use leftovers for a different meal!
This post is linked to LifeasMOM – Cozy Suppers Ultimate Recipe Swap and Ingredient Spotlight
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