Crockpot Hearty Beef Tomato Sauce

Crock Pot Hearty Beef (or Pork) Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2 small sweet onions chopped (or 1 large)
2 Tbsp. garlic minced
1-2 Bell Pepper diced, orange, red or yellow
1 lb. 97% lean ground beef (or 1lb. pork sausage)
4 slices of Prosciutto sliced into small pieces (***optional)
3 diced tomatoes (or 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic and green pepper)
1 jar tomato sauce of your choosing (or marina sauce)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a crockpot (except the Parmesan), break up the beef or sausage into chunks.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.  Serve over Cheesy Bread or pasta of your choosing.  If you love cheese, top with some shredded mozzarella.  Serves 8.

***My all-time favorite Tomato Sauce is Ragu Robusto Parmesan & Romano...it's amazing!

If you don't have fresh tomatoes, the 3 tomatoes can be replaced with another jar of tomato sauce such as Ragu Parmesan Romano Robutso

Easy Penne Meatball Bolognese Casserole

Easy Penne Meatball Bolognese Casserole

Ingredients:
About 20-25 Pre-cooked 1 inch round Meatballs (frozen or homemade, my meatball recipe will be posted shortly)
1 Box Penne Pasta cooked according to directions to al dente
2 Tbsp. butter
2 stalks of celery finely diced
1 Sweet (Vidalia) onion finely minced
2 Tnsp. minced garlic
2 carrots finely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
2 (24 oz.) Ragu Parmesan & Romano Robusto Sauces
2 cups Mozzarella
1 cup Grated Parmesan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.  Add celery, onion, carrots and garlic.  Cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes.  Add wine and reduce to about half over medium to medium-high heat (about 5-7 minutes).  Turn off heat and add 1 can of Parmesan & Romano Robusto Ragu Sauce.  Mix to combine.

In a 13 by 9 by 2 inch baking dish evenly spread out the cooked Penne pasta.  Drop meatballs into Penne so they are evenly distributed throughout the casserole.  Pour your homemade sauce evenly over the casserole.  Cover with 1 cup Mozzarella and 1 cup Parmesan.  Pour the extra jar of Ragu Parmesan & Romano Robusto Sauce evenly over the cheese.  Cover with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes covered.  Uncover, and top with remaining 1 cup of Mozzarella.  Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Serve hot.  Great with Garlic Parmesan Skillet Bread.

Cauliflower Spinach Au Gratin

Cauliflower Spinach Au Gratin

Ingredients:
3 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup flour
2 cups milk
16 oz. frozen or fresh spinach
1 head of cauliflower cut up into bite size pieces (use all of the cauliflower, including green portion)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese shredded (or your favorite cheese)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.

In a medium-large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Quickly whisk in the flour, and slowly add in milk stirring constantly with whisk to avoid lumps.  Add salt, pepper, spinach, and cauliflower.  Cook on medium-low heat for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.  Add sharp cheddar cheese and cook until cheese is melted.  Pour into baking dish (11 X 7 X 2 inch works well, but basically any medium sized baking dish should work).

Cover evenly with grated Parmesan.  Cover evenly with breadcrumbs.  Cover with foil.  Bake for 25 minutes covered, continue baking for 15 more minutes uncovered.  Serve hot.

Balsamic Glaze

1/3 cup balsamic
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Cook over medium heat in small saucepan stirring ingredients together while it cooks.  Mixture will start to bubble.  When mixture has thickened and is filled with bubbles.  Turn off and let thicken.  Mixture should have reduced to about half.

Great as a drizzle over your favorite pizza, grilled chicken, or tomato Caprese salad.

Also great as a pizza sauce for a pizza with savory toppings like prosciutto, fig and Manchego cheese.

Hearty Beef Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 small sweet onion chopped
2 Tbsp. garlic minced
1-2 Bell Pepper diced, orange, red or yellow (***optional)
1 lb. 97% lean ground beef
4 slices of Prosciutto sliced into small pieces
3 diced tomatoes (or 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic and green pepper)
1 small jar tomato sauce of your choosing (or marina sauce)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Place the oil in a large skillet.  Heat the oil on medium to medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic and the bell pepper (optional) and cook until tender for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add the ground beef and Prosciutto and cook over medium heat until the ground beef is browned and cooked through.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Serve over Cheesy Bread or pasta of your choosing.  If you love cheese, top with some shredded mozzarella.  Serves 8.

***My all-time favorite Tomato Sauce is Ragu Robusto Parmesan & Romano...it's amazing!

Hearty Sausage Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
1 package Low Fat Pork Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sausage
1 small sweet onion chopped
2 Tbsp. garlic minced
3 diced tomatoes (or 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic and green pepper)
1 small jar tomato sauce of your choosing (or marina sauce)
1-2 Bell Peppers diced, red orange or yellow (***optional)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:
Break the sausage apart and cook the sausage over medium to medium-high heat in large skillet until almost cooked through.  Add the onion, garlic and the bell pepper (optional) and cook until tender for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer over medium-low for at least 20 minutes.  Serve over Cheesy Bread or pasta of your choosing.  If you love cheese, top with some shredded mozzarella.  Serves 8.

***My all-time favorite Tomato Sauce is Ragu Robusto Parmesan & Romano...it's amazing!

Grandma's Best Barbecue Sauce Ever

My Grandma makes the most amazing Barbecue sauce ever.  This is her recipe for the barbecue sauce I grew up with.  It is a little sweet, a little spicy and has just the right zip.  It is good on almost anything.  Fair warning, you may need to double the recipe as it is delicious and does not make a ton.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium Vidalia onion finely minced
1/2 cup celery finely minced
2 Tbsp. vinegar
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. red pepper (red pepper flakes also work)
1/8 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Add onions and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients, excepting salt and peppers.  Simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.  Add salt and peppers for the last 5 minutes of cooking.  If the sauce is too thick, add water until desired consistency is achieved.  Can add more red or black pepper to taste if like sauce spicier.

Serving Suggestions:

Cover "Tastes Like Fried" Baked Chicken Breasts with sauce after baking and prior to serving for an extra special Dinner.

Sloppy Joes

Use sauce to baste chicken thighs, breasts or wings before baking or grilling.

Barbecue Mini Hot Dogs Appetizer

Sauce for Burgers

Sauce for Ribs - baste ribs in sauce and then cook ribs until done on grill or in oven.

Homestyle Honey Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey

Directions:

Mix well and enjoy.