rice
3 celery stalks, sliced
½ onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen white corn
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, minced
5 sausages: 2 spicy, and 3 not so spicy
2 cups cooked frozen shelled shrimp
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Combine the broth, wine, and uncooked rice in your stoneware. Add the vegetables, frozen corn, black beans, canned tomatoes, and garlic. Add the sausage. I promise it’s enough liquid. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6 hours.
Before eating, stir in the frozen shrimp and turn to high until the shrimp are pink and slightly curled, about 30 minutes.
The Verdict
We ate this on Super Duper Tuesday—the very first time Super Tuesday collided with Fat Tuesday—and truly enjoyed our meal. The heat comes from whatever sausages you happen to use. I used 2 Louisiana Hot Links, and 3 garlic-artichoke turkey sausages. It was a great combination.
LASAGNA
serves 6
The Ingredients
1 pound ground beef or turkey, browned and drained
1 (25-ounce) jar pasta sauce
10 dry lasagna noodles (traditional, not the no-cook kind; I used brown rice noodles)
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 pound sliced mushrooms
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves (optional)
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
8 slices mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Italian-style cheese
¼ cup water
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Brown the ground meat on the stovetop, and drain well. Add the jar of pasta sauce to the meat. Save the jar, you’ll need it later.
Spoon some of the meat and sauce mixture into the bottom of your slow cooker. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Smear some ricotta cheese on the noodles, and add some mushrooms, a handful of spinach, and some egg slices, if using. Put a few slices of mozzarella on top, and ½ cup or so of the shredded cheese. Add another spoonful of the meat and sauce mixture, and repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients, or the crock is full.
Put water into the empty pasta jar and shake. Pour the contents over the assembled ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Check about an hour before serving, and push down the top noodles into the liquid, if they are getting too brown andcrispy. The lasagna is done when the pasta has reached the desired tenderness and the cheese has melted completely and has begun to brown on the edges.
The Verdict
Lasagna is a family favorite around here, and I usually make it about once a month. I really appreciate the slow-cooked version, because I can assemble everything in the morning when I’m still fully awake. I like to sneak extra diced vegetables like zucchini and broccoli into my lasagnas. As long as there is enough cheese to hide the stowaways, my kids gladly eat it up.
MACARONI AND CHEESE
serves 6 to 8
The Ingredients
cooking spray
1 large egg, whisked
4 cups of milk (2 percent or lower in fat content)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
4 cups shredded cheese (I used all cheddar; many of my readers prefer American)
½ pound uncooked macaroni or hearty pasta (I used brown rice fusilli)
The Directions
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. This is one of those dishes you need to keep an eye on. It will cook quickly, and you will need to stir every so often. Spray the crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg and milk together. Stir in the seasonings. Add the cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. It will be very liquidy. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 5 hours, or on high for 1 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 to 45 minutes. Don’t wander too far away—I was quite surprised at how quickly our pasta got fork-tender.
The Verdict
We all really liked this. The cheese on top was bubbly and brown and had
3 celery stalks, sliced
½ onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup frozen white corn
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can Italian stewed tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, minced
5 sausages: 2 spicy, and 3 not so spicy
2 cups cooked frozen shelled shrimp
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Combine the broth, wine, and uncooked rice in your stoneware. Add the vegetables, frozen corn, black beans, canned tomatoes, and garlic. Add the sausage. I promise it’s enough liquid. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for about 6 hours.
Before eating, stir in the frozen shrimp and turn to high until the shrimp are pink and slightly curled, about 30 minutes.
The Verdict
We ate this on Super Duper Tuesday—the very first time Super Tuesday collided with Fat Tuesday—and truly enjoyed our meal. The heat comes from whatever sausages you happen to use. I used 2 Louisiana Hot Links, and 3 garlic-artichoke turkey sausages. It was a great combination.
LASAGNA
serves 6
The Ingredients
1 pound ground beef or turkey, browned and drained
1 (25-ounce) jar pasta sauce
10 dry lasagna noodles (traditional, not the no-cook kind; I used brown rice noodles)
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 pound sliced mushrooms
2 handfuls baby spinach leaves (optional)
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
8 slices mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Italian-style cheese
¼ cup water
The Directions
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Brown the ground meat on the stovetop, and drain well. Add the jar of pasta sauce to the meat. Save the jar, you’ll need it later.
Spoon some of the meat and sauce mixture into the bottom of your slow cooker. Cover with a layer of uncooked lasagna noodles. Smear some ricotta cheese on the noodles, and add some mushrooms, a handful of spinach, and some egg slices, if using. Put a few slices of mozzarella on top, and ½ cup or so of the shredded cheese. Add another spoonful of the meat and sauce mixture, and repeat the layers until you run out of ingredients, or the crock is full.
Put water into the empty pasta jar and shake. Pour the contents over the assembled ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Check about an hour before serving, and push down the top noodles into the liquid, if they are getting too brown andcrispy. The lasagna is done when the pasta has reached the desired tenderness and the cheese has melted completely and has begun to brown on the edges.
The Verdict
Lasagna is a family favorite around here, and I usually make it about once a month. I really appreciate the slow-cooked version, because I can assemble everything in the morning when I’m still fully awake. I like to sneak extra diced vegetables like zucchini and broccoli into my lasagnas. As long as there is enough cheese to hide the stowaways, my kids gladly eat it up.
MACARONI AND CHEESE
serves 6 to 8
The Ingredients
cooking spray
1 large egg, whisked
4 cups of milk (2 percent or lower in fat content)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
4 cups shredded cheese (I used all cheddar; many of my readers prefer American)
½ pound uncooked macaroni or hearty pasta (I used brown rice fusilli)
The Directions
Use a 4-quart slow cooker. This is one of those dishes you need to keep an eye on. It will cook quickly, and you will need to stir every so often. Spray the crock well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, whisk egg and milk together. Stir in the seasonings. Add the cheese and noodles, and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker. It will be very liquidy. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 5 hours, or on high for 1 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 to 45 minutes. Don’t wander too far away—I was quite surprised at how quickly our pasta got fork-tender.
The Verdict
We all really liked this. The cheese on top was bubbly and brown and had
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