Slow Cooker Meat Sauce

I've mentioned before that I've found a spaghetti sauce that we like enough to not have to buy canned sauce, but that doesn't mean I don't want to try to find something that might just as yummy as, or even BETTER than that one. So when I saw this one, to use in the crock pot, I decided to give it a try.

Slow Cooker Meat Sauce
Jelly Toast Blog

The Line Up
2 lbs ground Italian Sausage (I used sweet)
1 lb ground chuck
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 bell peppers diced (I used one red, one green)
6 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1/2 c red wine
1 Parmesan rind (omit for dairy free)
1 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh)
kosher salt
black pepper
1/4-1/2 crushed red pepper flakes (to taste)

The Game Plan
In a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot set over medium/high heat, brown sausage and ground chuck. Remove from heat, drain excess fat, and transfer cooked sausage and beef to 6 qt slow cooker.
Return Dutch oven to stove. Heat oven oil over medium high heat. Add onions, peppers and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions and peppers are soft and garlic is fragrent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Transfer mixture to slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Coach's Post Game Conference
As we are now dairy free, I left out the Parmesan rind, and didn't have red wine (I drink white!) in the house so I left that out also. Followed everything else as above.
I am usually skeptical of marinara sauces that have bell peppers visible in them as I don't care much for them. But this turned out great! We ate from it twice and have a gallon freezer bag of sauce in the freezer for later!

Final Score
Home Runs all the way around (even from the Rookie - remember, she LOVES all things pasta!)

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Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole

I made this recipe several months ago, during the off season and before beginning our dairy free season and it was delicious! I attempted it again a couple months into our dairy free season and we were all quite disappointed. But I have MISSED it, so I decided this week to try again, and to tweak the recipe a bit. The Rookie LOVES LOVES LOVES anything pasta, and especially anything with marinara sauce so I definitely wanted her to be able to enjoy it as well.

Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti Casserole
Plain Chicken

The Line Up
12 oz spaghetti
1 (28 oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce
1 lb lean ground beef
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 clove garlic, minced
8 oz cream cheese (I used Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese)
1/2 c Parmesan cheese (omit for dairy free)

The Game Plan
Prepare oven to 350° F.
In a skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain fat and stir in spaghetti sauce. Set aside.
Cook spaghetti according to directions on packet. Drain and place cooked spaghetti in bowl. Add cream cheese, Italian seasoning and minced garlic. Stir until cream cheese is melted and the spaghetti is thorougly coated.
Lightly grease a 9x13" pan. Spread a small amount of meat sauce on the bottom of the dish. Put spaghetti on top of sauce and top with remaining meat sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbly.

Coach's Post Game Conference
When I made this originally - I made it as listed above and it was delicious!!
To make this dairy free, I used Toffuti brand cream cheese substitute and omitted the Parmesan on top, until it was plated. Once plated, those that can eat dairy, had Parmesan cheese if they wanted. Part of the problem I had on my first attempt at altering this recipe to be dairy free, was that the cream cheese was not softened enough to mix into the pasta well, so there were clumps of cream cheese and areas where there was no cream cheese. Also, I realized today, that while this stuff LOOKS and (kind of) feels like real cream cheese, it doesn't taste like it. It doesn't have quite the same sweetness as what the real stuff does. SOOO... I pulled the cream cheese out of the refrigerator early this morning, and left it on the counter. When it was time to cook, I realized it still wasn't going to mix into the spaghetti well, so I threw it in the microwave for about 45 seconds. That worked WONDERS. Then... to address the taste, I stirred in 1 TBSP of sugar. (I've since been told that Daiya brand cream cheese has a much better flavor than the Tofutti brand).  Aside from these slight alterations, I followed the recipe as it is above and this was a winner yet again!!!

Final Score
Coach - Home Run
Catcher - Home Run
The All-Star - Home Run
The Rookie - ate a whole bowl full with minimal spillage, so I would say she thinks it's a Home Run also

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Pizza Melts

Pizza Melts
Pillsbury
The Line Up
2 cans (8 oz) pillsbury crescent recipe creations refrigerated seamless dough (or regular crescent dinner folls, sealing the perforations)
1/4 c pizza sauce or 3 TBSP tomato paste with basil, garlic and oregano
1 pkg (3.5 oz) sliced pepperoni
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg beaten
2 TBSP grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 c pizza sauce, if desired, for dipping

The Game Plan
Heat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheet

If using crescent rolls: on cookie sheet, unroll 1 can of dough into 1 large rectangle. With floured rolling pins or fingers, roll or press dough into 12x9" rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheets; On cookie sheet, unroll 1 can of dough, with floured rolling pin or fingers, roll or press dough into 12x9" rectangle.

Spread 1/4 c pizza sauce over dough to within 1/4" of edges. Top with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.

If using crescent rolls: On 14" length of parchment paper, unroll remaining can of dough. Press to make 12x9" rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheets: on 14" length of parchment paper, unroll remaining can of dough. Press to make 12x9" rectangle.

While holding paper with dough, turn dough upside down to cover cheese. Remove paper. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and oregano.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand on cooling rack 5-10 minutes. Move to cutting board. Using pizza cutter, cut into 16 squares. Cut each square in half diagonally. Serve with 1 c pizza sauce.

Coach's Post Game Conference:
I used Ragu pizza sauce for this. I've actually made it twice. It makes a nice snack or light lunch. I made it once and took it with us to the drive in for the team to munch on while we watched a movie.

Final Score
We deinitely liked this recipe - ESPECIALLY The All-Star who ate probably 1/2-3/4 of the entire thing the first time I made it!!

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Portobello Lasagna Rollups

Portobello Lasagna Rollups
Cooking Channel
The Line Up
12 whole wheat lasagna noodles (about 3/4 lb)
2 tsp olive oil
12 oz portobello mushrooms, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
4 c easy tomato sauce (recipe follows)
1 (15 oz) container part-skim ricotta cheese
1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 egg, lightly beaten
black pepper
pinch nutmg
1/4 c grated Parmesan
3 oz grated mozzarella cheese (about 2/3 c)

Easy Tomato Sauce:
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes, drained, chopped
3 TBSP tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper

The Game Plan
Preheat the oven to 375.

SAUCE: In a large pot heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes longer. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roll-Ups: Cook the noodles al dente according to the directions on the package. Drain them well and spread them out onto aluminum foil or waxed paper to prevent them from sticking.

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and all the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 tsp of salt. Stir 1 1/2 c of the tomato sauce, and simmer for 2 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, spinach, egg, the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, a few turns of pepper and nutmeg.

Spread 1 c of tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x12 inch baking dish. Spread about 2 TBSP of the ricotta mixture onto a lasagna noodle. Top with about 1 1/2 TBSP of the mushroom mixture. Roll the noodle and place it into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining noodles. Spread the remaining 1 1/2 c of sauce over the lasagna rolls. Top with grated cheeses, cover loosely with foil, bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more.

Final Score:
It's been a while since I actually MADE this - but I remember that none of us cared for it much... it wasn't awful, and I'm sure that some of you might love it. I think it just didn't have the flavor I was expecting. With all the ingredients - it was surprisingly bland for our tastes. Not to mention that The All Star made notice of the mushrooms -- you MIGHT remember that the All Star is not a fan of mushrooms... and it had SPINACH in it, which he loves almost as much as mushrooms

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Sicilian Style Meatballs and Fettuccine

In an amazing turn of events, Team Matos has decided to no longer purchase marinara sauce for use in spaghetti. We will still use it when making other dishes that call for marinara sauce, but in a unanimous decision we've agreed that this recipe makes amazing sauce! This now means that we now have recipes that we love for marinara AND alfredo sauce!! And... both sauces are super easy!!

Sicilian-Style Meatballs and Fettuccine
Pillsbury Pasta, Breads & Pizza Snacks - April 1994
The Line Up

10 oz uncooked fettuccine
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bulk Italian sausage
1/4 c finely minced onion
2 TBSP dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 (14 1/2 oz) can ready to serve beef broth
6 oz tomato paste
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried basil leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
2 TBSP chopped parsley

The Game Plan
Cook fettuccine to desired doneness as directed on package. Drain; keep warm. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, bread crumbs and egg; blend well. Shape into thirty 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Spray large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add meatballs; cook over medium-high heat until well browned and on all sides, add beef broth, tomato paste, salt, garlic powder, basil and pepper; blend well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked, stirring occasionally. Serve meatballs with sauce over cooked fettuccine; sprinkle with parsley.

Coach's Post Game Conference
Not sure what I need to say about this that I haven't already said. It's definitely a grand slam for Team Matos. I'm not sure, though, that it would taste quite right if we were to make it without the meatballs. The "juices" from the meatballs add a lot of flavor to the sauce. We might try to make it into a meat sauce next by browning the meat rather than making it into meatballs. But we love the meatballs also!!!

Final Score
Coach - Grand Slam
Catcher - Grand Slam
The All-Star - Grand Slam


EXTRA INNINGS - added 2/13/2011

10th Inning - I have begun taking extras of this and freezing them in snack size resealable bags to send in The All Star's lunch box. Two meatballs and a bit of sauce with two Hawiian Sweet rolls (NOT dairy free - 11/7/2013) make amazing meatball mini-subs!!

11th Inning - I've been saying since I found this recipe that I wanted to try it as a meat sauce also, instead of meatballs. I decided to cut the meat in half so I only used 1/2 a pound of ground beef and 1/2 a pound of sweet Italian sausage. The rest of the recipe stayed the same. Again... AH-MAY-ZING!!!

***edited - Please see label disclaimers on True Confessions 11/7/2013***

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Slow Cooker Lasagna

We had lasagna the other night. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it before it had been in for too long and got a bit "dark". It's still edible and still tastes good, so I'll share my secret, just no picture of it (yet)... I just have to remember my own cooking times!

Slow Cooker Lasagna
8 lasagna noodles
1 lb ground beef
1 tsp Italian seasoning
24-36 oz of your favorite marinara sauce (add sauce to make the lasagana how you like it... I like mine more saucy than "thick")
1/3 c water
1 (8 oz) can mushrooms (if desired)
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
garlic powder (to taste)
1/4-1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
2 c shredded mozarella (buy a 3 cup package and use it all)

The Game Plan
Place 1/2 of the lasagna noodles in bottom of GREASED slow cooker
Brown ground beef in saucepan. Drain. Stir in Italian seasoning. Spread 1/2 over noodles in slow cooker. In separate bowl, mix egg, ricotta cheese, garlic powder & shredded Parmesan cheese. Layer 1/2 of sauce and water, 1/2 of mushrooms, 1/2 of ricotta cheese and 1/2 of mozzarella cheese over beef.
Repeat layers. Cover. Cook on low 5 hours.

Coach's Post Game Conference
I play with the recipe a bit each time I make it. The original recipe didn't have the egg, garlic powder & Parmesan cheese... just a layer of ricotta. I like this addition! I also mix and match the meat. Sometimes I use all ground beef, some times I use ground Italian sausage, sometimes it's ground turkey... sometimes it's a combination of any of the above. It's all up to you.
The most important thing I would like to point out is this: You do NOT need to boil the noodles before making this and you do NOT need to pay extra for the no-boil noodles! Just get regular lasagna noodles, it turns out perfect! (well... unless you cook it on HIGH for 6 hours like I did this week!)

Final Score
Coach -  Home Run (when I make it right!)
Catcher - Home Run
The All-Star - Home Run - he claims to be Garfield... he LOVES lasagna!

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Chicken Alfredo

Team Matos loves eating at Olive Garden, but obviously it's not something we can do regularly. Our absolute favorite thing is their alfredo sauce. I mentioned this a couple weeks ago and a friend of mine, The Mighty Casey who shared his recipe for alfredo with me recently. He said it was very close to Olive Garden's alfredo, so I was eager to give it a try.  So eager, infact that I forgot to take a picture of the dish the first time around!

Chicken Alfredo
The Line Up
1 pint heavy (whipping) cream
1 stick REAL butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 c shredded parmesan cheese
10 oz cooked & ready to eat chicken strips - omit for vegetarian
Fettucine

The Game Plan
Mix the cream, butter and garlic powder on the stove, medium/low heat and stir until the butter melts and the mixture begins to bubble. On low heat mix in the cheese. Continuously stir until it's all melted and thick. Add in chicken strips long enough to warm. Keep stirring so you don't burn the sauce though!

Coach's Post Game Conference
I want to start off by saying a HUGE THANK YOU to The Mighty Casey! Unlike the Mudville Nine's Star Player you hit a home run for Team Matos! I think you just saved us a LOT of money by cutting down on the trips to Olive Garden. This recipe is delicious and yes... VERY close to Olive Gardens. I don't think I left it on long enough, as it was still quite runny. But I was soooo excited to eat it I couldn't wait any longer!!

Final Score
Coach -  Home Run
Catcher -  Home Run
The All-Star - Home Run ("if I could rate it higher I would")

***edit - Please see label disclaimer in "True Confessions" - 11/7/2013

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Lasagna Blanca

This recipe caught my eye while I was looking through Better Homes & Garden's One Dish Dinner recipe book from 2004.

Lasagna Blanca
The line up:
1 lb spicy pork sausage
1/2 c chopped green onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 c low fat cottage cheese
1/2 of an 8 oz pkg reduced fat cream cheese
1 1/2 c shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 (17 oz) pkg frozen no-boil lasagna noodles, thawed
1/2 c chopped fresh mushrooms
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP all purpose flour
1/8 tsp dried taragon
1 c milk

The Play
In a large skillet, cook sausage & green onions until meat is brown. Drain off fat. Stir in 1/4 tsp of the garlic powder and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper.
For filling: In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese, cream cheese, 1/2 c of the cheddar cheese, remaining garlic powder and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper.
Spread filling over lasagna noodles, sprinkle with sausage mixture and mushrooms. Roll up each noodle into spiral. Place spirals, seam sides down in greased 2 quart rectangular baking dish. Set aside.
For sauce: In Small saucepan, melt butter, stir in flour, tarragon and 1/8 tsp ground black pepper. Add milk. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 c of the cheddar cheese. Pour sauce over spirals
Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered about 10 minutes or until heated through.

Post Game Coach's Press Conference
I have never used no-boil frozen noodles. I use regular noodles that I boil in my electric skillet (perfect fit, and they stay flat) then let them cool. I don't know how many noodles are in a 17 oz pkg of frozen noodles, but I use 6 lasagna noodles, and it comes out perfectly.
The first time I made this we decided it didn't have quite enough sauce so when i made it the second time, I doubled the sauce recipe. I ended up only using about 2/3 of that doubled recipe and it was much better.
I forgot to put the mushrooms in tonight's lasagna, much to my dismay and The All-Stars pleasure! Though the flavor was still good.

Final Score
Coach - Home Run
Catcher - Home Run
The All-Star - Home Run

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