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Entrees

YOLO BOLO: Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce for the slow cooker

I call this recipe YOLO (You Only Live Once) BOLO because the Bolognese sauce is so rich, intense with Cabernet Sauvignon flavor that it’s the only Bolognese recipe you’ll need for the rest of your life! Yep, that’s right! Seriously.

It’s made in a slow cooker, so it is so easy to make. You could literally turn it on when you leave for work and when you return home you’ll have perfectly cooked Bolognese spaghetti sauce.

This recipe is a modern take on a classic Bolognese sauce; I’m using lean ground turkey and I left out the chopped celery. Trust me, you won’t miss it. In my opinion, celery is the most overrated vegetable. And it only takes up “valuable space” in the slow cooker that is better served by more Cabernet Sauvignon.

After browning the ground turkey, put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker. Turn it on HIGH and let it cook for about 4 hours. You can use any pasta, but I like to use thin, whole grain spaghetti. And, of course, top it with some quality grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

If you have any leftovers, freeze the Bolognese spaghetti sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 months.

SHAMELESS PLUG: This recipe for Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce is entered in Better Recipe’s Slow Cooker Blogger Recipe Contest. If you like this recipe, please vote for YOLO BOLO Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce. The top vote-getters from the general public will compete for the grand prize. Thanks for your consideration and support.

YOLO BOLO: Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 4 hours

Yield: 8 servings

YOLO BOLO: Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

2.5 pounds 93% lean ground turkey

2 cans (28 ounces each) Dei Fratelli Crushed Tomatoes

4 carrots, finely chopped (about 24 baby carrots)

2 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup tomato paste (about 6 ounces)

1 cup cabernet sauvignon (or any dry white or red wine)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1.5 pounds thin whole wheat spaghetti

grated Pecorino Romano, for garnish

Instructions

Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet.

In a 6-quart slow cooker, mix together the cooked ground turkey, tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, tomato paste, wine, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. You may also cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours. Remove bay leaves before serving.

About 15 minutes before serving, cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Plate the spaghetti, top with Bolognese and sprinkle with grated cheese.

https://bakedchicago.com/bolognese-spaghetti-sauce/

4,756

Entrees

Hearty 6-Bean Slow Cooker Chili with Sweet Peppers

Feeding a huge crowd for the Big Game? This chili will feed a very hungry army so it’s a perfect quarterback for a Souper Bowl Party on any game day. It’s loaded with lots of lean protein and has a mild heat from the sweet red, orange and yellow peppers.

This chili has 6 beans. Yes, count them, 6 beans:

garbanzo (aka chick peas),
dark red kidney,
light red kidney,
white kidney,
black, and
butter

I used to make chili with four beans: butter, garbanzo, dark red and light red kidney. And that was fine for many years. But when I made this new version, I doubled the amount of ground turkey to 2 1/2 pounds. So I thought I should up the bean count as well. As I scoured the shelves at the supermarket, I found (for the first time) white kidney beans. My mind thinks in polar opposites quite a bit so I grabbed a can of white kidney beans and a can of black beans and was ready to get cooking.

It’s important to rinse the beans before putting them in the slow cooker. Depending on the type of bean, there will be a lot of starch in the bean juice and there will be little flavor (or nutritional value) in that. Simply empty the cans in a colander and rinse with cold water before putting in the slow cooker.

Then dice some small sweet peppers. To get about 1 cup of sweet peppers, I cut up 7 small red, orange and yellow sweet peppers. It adds a mild heat to the chili and a nice pop of color, as well.

Add the rest of the ingredients, and give it a good stir before putting on the lid to the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every hour or so. Serve warm. Top with your favorite garnish, like popcorn or shredded cheese. Got any leftovers? It freezes well for up to 6 months.

So easy. So satisfying. So deliciously good.

6-Bean Slow Cooker Chili with Sweet Peppers

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

6-Bean Slow Cooker Chili with Sweet Peppers

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds ground turkey, cooked

16 ounces garbanzo beans (aka chick peas)

16 ounces dark red kidney beans

16 ounces light red kidney beans

16 ounces butter beans

15 ounces white kidney beans

15 ounces black beans

32 ounces tomato juice

28 ounces chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons onion, minced

4 tablespoons chili powder

1 cup sweet peppers, diced

Instructions

In a 6-quart slow cooker, add the ground turkey, beans, tomato juice, chopped tomatoes, garlic, onion, chili powder and sweet peppers. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours.

https://bakedchicago.com/6-bean-slow-cooker-chili-sweet-peppers/

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Award-Winning Recipes/ Entrees

Zesty Italian Slow Cooker Lasagna

This slow cooker lasagna recipe is perfect for large family gatherings or Super Bowl viewing parties. Recently I killed my Cuisinart slow cooker when I mistakenly turned on the HIGH setting with no food in it. Just as I was prepared to cook, I heard a big crack and the removable ceramic container split in half. I researched replacement containers but realized that my slow cooker (purchased in 1999 or 2000) was so old that you couldn’t get parts any more. So I upgraded to a digital Cuisinart slow cooker with built-in steamer and brown/saute functions.

I rarely make lasagna because it seems like a huge amount of work for one person – and then I have it for leftovers for weeks and get bored. But this slow cooker lasagna recipe intrigued me because it appeared to really simplify the cooking process. Overall, I was pleased with how it turned out – though I still had tons of leftovers. But this time, I put most of them in labeled freezer containers and stored in the deep freeze for the next time I get a craving.

Update December 2013: This recipe was recognized as runner up in the 2013 Dei Fratelli Ripened Recipe Contest.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

Lightly coat the inside of a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. [I am also a fan of the new slow cooker liners, because they really save on clean up time.]

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until brown. Break up the meat as it cooks. Stir in the marinara sauce and diced tomatoes. Remove from heat.

Place about 1/2 cup of the meat / marinara mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker (this will allow the bottom layer of noodles to properly cook). Layer 4 of the noodles on top of the meat mixture. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, then 1/3 of the remaining meat / marinara mixture, and about 1/3 of the shredded cheese. That’s NOODLES – RICOTTA – MEAT/MARINARA – SHREDDED CHEESE. Repeat the layers two more times starting with the noodles.

Cover and cook on high-heat setting for up to 3 hours. Let stand, uncovered, for about 15 minutes before serving.

Serve individual portions sprinkled with fresh Parmesan or shredded Italian cheese bend. Freeze any slow cooker lasagna leftovers for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

Zesty Italian Slow Cooker Lasagna

Cook Time: 3 hours

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage

24 ounces Dei Fratelli Marinara Pasta Sauce

28 ounces Dei Fratelli Chopped Italian Tomatoes

12 no-boil lasagna noodles

16 ounces ricotta cheese

8 ounces shredded Italian cheese blend

additional shredded Italian or Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

Lightly coat the inside of a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker with

non-stick cooking spray.

In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until brown. Break up the meat as it cooks. Stir in the marinara sauce and chopped Italian tomatoes. Remove from heat.

Place about 1/2 cup of the meat / marinara mixture in the bottom of the slow cooker (this will allow the bottom layer of noodles to properly cook).

Layer 4 of the noodles on top of the meat mixture. Top with 1/3 of the ricotta cheese, then 1/3 of the remaining meat / marinara mixture, and about 1/3 of the shredded cheese. That's noodles, ricotta, meat/marinara/shredded cheese.

Repeat the layers two more times starting with the noodles.

Cover and cook on high-heat setting for up to 3 hours.

Let stand, uncovered, for about 15 minutes before serving.

Serve individual portions sprinkled with fresh Parmesan or shredded Italian cheese blend. Freeze any slow cooker lasagna leftovers for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

https://bakedchicago.com/slow-cooker-lasagna/

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Entrees

Game Day Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes (with Bacon!)

America, are you ready for some football? Hosting a Super Bowl viewing party doesn’t have to be stressful, if you plan ahead. This DIY sloppy joes recipe is easy to make and can be prepared in larger batches to serve a crowd.

This recipe uses a slow cooker, which also allows you to keep the food warm and makes it easy for guests to serve themselves. But you can also stir this up in a single skillet in less than 20 minutes for a quick dinner idea. Either way, it’s sure to be a touchdown with your family and guests.

I use ground turkey instead of ground beef in my recipes, but you can use whichever you prefer. And for an added crunch, I’ve included crispy bacon as a last minute ingredient. The bacon adds a nice depth to the flavor, but remember that the longer it’s in the sloppy joes, the more it will lose its crunch. So I suggest adding in just a few minutes before you’re ready to begin serving.

Get your ingredients ready. 13 – 62 – 50 – Hike!

Game Day Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes (with bacon!)

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, add the olive oil and minced onion. Add in the ground turkey and begin to cook until brown. Break up the ground turkey and stir often to ensure the onions are evenly cooked. When the ground turkey is no longer pink, transfer everything to a 3-quart slow cooker.

Stir in the chili sauce, brown sugar, relish, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours. Stir occasionally to blend the flavors. About five minutes before you’re ready to begin serving, add in the crispy bacon and stir.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of sloppy joes mixture on a toasted bun. Toasting the buns will add another crunchy texture to each bite, plus keep the bun from getting soggy too quickly.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
1/2 cup fresh minced onion (or 1/4 cup dried)
12 ounces chili sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet pickle relist
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup crispy bacon, chopped (roughly 6 thick-cut or 8 regular-cut slices)
6 burger buns, split (toasted buns optional but recommended)

Number of servings: 6

Cooking time: 3 hours

Entrees

Arrabbiata Sauce with Rotini Pasta and Turkey Meatballs

I must admit for most of my adult life I’ve never made spaghetti sauce from scratch. With so many good pre-made sauces on the market, I usually stock up when there’s a sale and (occasionally) doctor it up with some fresh herbs or tomatoes. Can I get an “amen?” Browsing through one of my favorite slow cooker cookbooks – Better Homes and Gardens Year-Round Slow Cooker Recipes – I found a recipe for arrabbiata sauce. I was intrigued because I’d never heard of arrabbiata sauce. After a little research, I discovered that “arrabbiata” is Italian for “angry.” The sauce gets its name from the burn of the crushed red peppers. Most everything about this recipe sounded great, but of course I had to add my own twists to make it more of something I’d want to eat. So I exchanged pancetta for bacon and I added a cup of Cabernet Sauvignon wine to the recipe. I thought if the sauce was going to be “angry,” then being a little “boozy” couldn’t hurt!

Arrabbiata Sauce with Turkey Meatballs

The arrabbiata sauce is extremely easy to make. Your slow cooker does most of the heavy lifting. To start the recipe, I browned the onion, bacon and garlic in a skillet – then transferred the contents to my slow cooker. You add all the rest of the ingredients (except for the pasta and meatballs – those come later!) into your slow cooker and give it a good stir. Set it on HIGH and put on the lid. Walk away for 4 to 5 hours and the sauce will be “perfetto!” About 45 minutes before your arrabbiata sauce is done, you’ll want to start making the turkey meatballs. I used pre-seasoned panko breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning spices, but you can use standard panko breadcrumbs and add in the Italian seasoning by hand. The mixture of the panko, butter and egg help bind the ingredients, and make for a great carmelized “crust” on the outside of the meatballs. I tend to like larger meatballs, so that requires even cooking. The trick is not to rush the browning process, so never go higher than medium-high heat. I don’t make homemade meatballs that often. Usually, I’ll just brown ground turkey into my sauce and make whatever sauce I’m using a meat sauce. But these turkey meatballs were to die for! Well worth the effort. You may want to make a double batch; they freeze well. Cook your pasta according to package directions. I used rotini pasta, but you can easily substitute your favorite pasta or what you have in your pantry. If you’re only having pasta for a meal, I like to use a bowl. It makes it easier to cover the pasta with sauce, without wasting a lot covering the entire length of a plate. Then pile on the meatballs and pour a healthy serving of arrabbiata sauce over it all. Top it with shredded Parmesan cheese and you’ve got a great weekday dinner or weekend lunch that’s good enough for company. I ended up adding Cabernet Sauvignon to this arrabbiata sauce recipe to make it “less angry.” What’s your favorite ingredient to add to spaghetti sauce?

Arrabbiata Sauce with Turkey Meatballs

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 4 hours

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

For Sauce:

1 large onion, chopped

5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

56 ounces diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

15 ounces tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon, or any dry red wine

8 servings cooked rotini pasta

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

For Meatballs:

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

20 ounces ground turkey, 93% lean

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 medium onions, minced

2 eggs

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

For Sauce:

In a skillet, cook the onion, bacon and garlic over medium heat until onion is tender and bacon is browned.

Transfer mixture to a 5-quart slow cooker. Set skillet aside to use when cooking meatballs later.

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours (or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours).

Serve over pasta and turkey meatballs. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

For Meatballs:

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, mined onions, eggs, butter, salt and pepper.

By hand, form golf ball-sized meatballs and place in cooled skillet (used when browning onion and bacon mixture earlier). Makes about 16 meatballs, or 2 per serving. Feel free to make your meatballs smaller or larger, based on your preference. But make all meatballs uniform in size so they cook evenly.

Place skillet with meatballs on burner at medium-high heat. Every 5 minutes or so, turn meatballs so that all sides will eventually brown and meatballs will be evenly cooked. Watch carefully and remove meatballs from skillet when done. Set aside to serve with arrabbiata sauce and pasta.

Notes

Sauce portion of this recipe lightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens "Year-Round Slow Cooker Recipes"

https://bakedchicago.com/arrabbiata-sauce-recipe/

Entrees

Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce

It’s made in a slow cooker, so it is so easy to make. You could literally turn it on when you leave for work and when you return home you’ll have perfectly cooked Bolognese spaghetti sauce.

If you have any leftovers, freeze the Bolognese spaghetti sauce in an airtight container for up to 4 months.

YOLO BOLO: Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 4 hours

Yield: 8 servings

YOLO BOLO: Bolognese Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

2.5 pounds 93% lean ground turkey

2 cans (28 ounces each) Dei Fratelli Crushed Tomatoes

4 carrots, finely chopped (about 24 baby carrots)

2 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup tomato paste (about 6 ounces)

1 cup cabernet sauvignon (or any dry white or red wine)

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1.5 pounds thin whole wheat spaghetti

grated Pecorino Romano, for garnish

Instructions

Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet.

In a 6-quart slow cooker, mix together the cooked ground turkey, tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, tomato paste, wine, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, or until the vegetables are tender. You may also cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours. Remove bay leaves before serving.

About 15 minutes before serving, cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Plate the spaghetti, top with Bolognese and sprinkle with grated cheese.

https://bakedchicago.com/bolognese-spaghetti-sauce-recipe/

Soups, Salads & Sides

Rustic New Potatoes with Bacon & Edamame

If I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be potatoes. Hands down. No need for discussion. Potatoes are so versatile and so comforting. The neatniks of the world say “cleanliness is next to Godliness.” I say a mouthful of scrumptious potatoes is as close to heaven on earth as you can get (with food).

What I like about rustic cooking is that it’s simple. There’s no fuss. And this recipe uses a slow cooker, which makes it almost effortless. The only work you have to do is quarter the potatoes and turn on your slow cooker. And as slow cooker recipes go, it’s relatively fast to cook. This is a great side dish for a pot roast or chicken. You could even cut up some oven-roasted turkey breast or chicken and add it to the mixture for a one-pot meal.

Baked potatoes with sour cream, crunchy tater tots, hash browns with scrambled eggs, au gratin potatoes with anything – I luv ’em all! So now you know just how much I love potatoes. Which kind of potatoes is your favorite?

Rustic New Potatoes with Bacon & Edamame

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 2 hours

Yield: 4 servings

Rustic New Potatoes with Bacon & Edamame

Ingredients

12 ounces shelled edamame

1.5 pounds new potatoes, quartered

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 slices thick-cut bacon, crispy and crumbled for garnish

Instructions

In a 4-quart slow cooker, add the edamame and potatoes. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Drizzle the oil mixture over the potatoes and toss to coat.

Cook on HIGH for 2 to 3 hours, or until potatoes are fully cooked. Garnish with crispy, crumbled bacon and serve warm.

https://bakedchicago.com/rustic-new-potatoes-recipe/

Soups, Salads & Sides

Wild Rice with Edamame & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

My immediately family is quite large. When we get together over the holidays, it’s like a yule tide flash mob has descended on Grandma’s house! Feeding this army can be a challenge, but we manage by dividing and conquering the holiday menu.

Grandma makes the turkey and dressing. My sister-in-law makes the desserts. My sister makes cheesy potatoes with help from my nieces. My brothers and I make assorted menu items to complete the smorgasbord. This year, I wanted to make a wild rice dish because my dad, who died in 1995, loved having wild rice at the holidays. Wild rice can take quite a while to cook, so it’s perfect for the slow cooker, which is great for transporting a hot dish on a road trip to Grandma’s.

I almost put bacon in this recipe, but because I was traveling with the dish I decided to go with Italian sausage instead. Bacon would have been great, but you wouldn’t want to put it in the dish until 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve. Otherwise it would lose it crunchiness. I’ve also tried versions of this recipe with vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, but I find in general that vegetable broth has such a subtle flavor that it doesn’t hold up against the earthiness of wild rice. So a chicken (or turkey) broth is a better option.

For me the star ingredients are the edamame (possibly my favorite vegetable – after potatoes, of course!) and the sun-dried tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes pack a lot of flavor and it adds a nice counter-punch to the wild rice. This recipe makes at least 16 servings (I was feeding an army, remember), so if you have a smaller group just halve the recipe for your brood.

Wild Rice with Edamame and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

15 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups uncooked blend of wild rice, brown rice and red rice

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

42 ounces chicken broth

16 ounces edamame, shelled

16 ounces bulk Italian sausage

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Instructions

In a medium skillet, brown the Italian sausage and break into chunks. Cook thoroughly and remove from heat.

In a 6-quart slow cooker, mix all the ingredients. Stir to incorporate, then cover and cook on high heat for about 1 hour. Stir again. Set heat to low and cook for another 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

https://bakedchicago.com/wild-rice-with-edamame-and-sun-dried-tomatoes-recipe/

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Entrees

Your Recipes (and Family!) Deserve Only The Very Best Ingredients

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Harvestland® by Perdue®. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’ve always believed that when you cook for your family you should use the very best ingredients available to you — and to keep the recipes you often use as simple as possible. Cooking can be therapeutic to you as the home cook, and coming together as a family to the dinner table has additional benefits for your family’s health. Simplicity is the key.

And sometimes keeping it simple means finding shortcuts in the food preparation or cooking process. Finding ingredients you can trust doesn’t have to be hard, if you know where to look. Harvestland® by Perdue®, available at Walmart, has fresh and fully cooked turkey, chicken and pork products. These products come from local family-owned farms throughout the United States and are USDA process verified.

That means Harvestland® by Perdue®’s all-natural products are:

Raised cage free
Fed all-vegetarian diets (no animal by products!)
Free of antibiotics and contain no artificial ingredients

You can trust Harvestland® by Perdue® to be a natural choice for your family when you’re cooking at home. It’s food that’s pure and simple, which allows your family to Eat Like Your Ancestors.™ What does that mean exactly? Check out this fun video to find out!

Luckily it’s gotten easier in the modern world to cook for your family. My favorite secret weapon for a hearty, wholesome meal is my slow cooker. Try my Chicken Vesuvio (family-style recipe) with your family. Substitute your kin’s favorite root vegetables for a one-pot wonderful meal that will nourish the body and soul.

Family-style Chicken Vesuvio Recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 Harvestland® by Perdue® Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
12 ounces edamame, shelled
1 cup sweet yellow and red peppers, julienned
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
3 tablespoons minced onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Directions

Lightly coat a frying pan with canola oil and place on a stovetop burner, set on medium-high. Warm the pan for a minute so it is hot enough to sear the chicken breasts.

Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Using a barbecue brush, lightly coat the top of each chicken breast with canola oil. Season with a pinch each of sea salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning. Place the chicken breasts in the hot frying pan, seasoned side down. Cook for about 6 minutes.

Immediately coat the remaining side of each chicken breast with oil. Season with one pinch each of sea salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning. Cover the pan with a lid until you’re ready to turn the chicken breasts. After you turn the chicken breasts, cook for another 6 minutes or until both sides are browned.

Place the potatoes, edamame, peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, onion, garlic and remaining sea salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning in a 6-quart slow cooker. Add chicken broth and white wine. Gently stir to immerse vegetables evenly in the broth mixture. This helps the vegetables to properly steam and cook evenly. Top the vegetables with the chicken breasts.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 to 3.5 hours (or LOW for 6 to 7 hours) until chicken breasts and potatoes are tender.

Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a serving plate. Top with juices from the slow cooker. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

Cook Time: 3 hours, 12 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.

Save $1.00 off Harvestland Fresh or Frozen Chicken.

Soups, Salads & Sides

Chicken Sausage & Basmati Rice Soup

Disclosure: I was given an assortment of free Pereg® Natural Gourmet Food samples to review. I get no additional benefits for talking about this product or company. All opinions about this product are 100% my own.

Bone-chilling cold. Snow measured in feet, not inches. Polar vortexes and arctic blasts. Winter may be trying to beat us down with repeated, wickedly cold temperatures. But my secret weapon for warming up body and soul is a simple, hot bowl of soup. Except for the possibility of hot chocolate, nothing else satisfies and restores the way soup can.

And this weekend has been one of those times where a bowl of soup could surely work miracles and keep me hanging on to the hope that spring will….eventually…get here and melt away this misery.

I opened up my pantry and found two items from Pereg that I’ve been dying to try: a Basmati Rice with Vegetables and Texas Chili Heirloom Beans.

I also grabbed some chicken broth and some chicken sausage links and headed to the stove. In a medium sauce pan, I heated up the entire container of broth (32 ounces) over high heat until it boiled. Then I added the Pereg Basmati Rice with Vegetables mixture and lowered the temperature to medium-high to let the ingredients simmer.

While it was cooking, I sliced the chicken sausage links and added them to the pot. After about 15 minutes, I had this intoxicating Chicken Sausage & Basmati Rice Soup that was just about the best chicken soup I’ve ever made. I had two bowls, with enough left over to freeze two single-serving containers so I had soup on hand for my next winter emergency.

I love making turkey chili in my slow cooker during the winter. The smell of the chili is comforting and part of my winter routine. But I’ve never made chili – or anything – with dried beans. So I carefully followed the directions on the Pereg Texas Chili Heirloom Beans package and soaked the beans over night.

Just look at these beautiful beans!

After rinsing them, I substituted them for canned beans from one of my favorite Slow Cooker Chili recipes.

The results were delish! I did learn that when you cook dried beans in a slow cooker, you have to cook them for at least 6 to 8 hours. Anything short of that, the beans will still be a little crunchy.

Desserts/ Entrees

Baked Chicago’s Top 5 Most Popular Recipes of 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, it’s fun to look back to see what’s been cooking in the kitchen. I have my favorite recipes from the past year. Two of which made the Top 5 most popular recipes. If you need a hint, it’s the two savory recipes. Go figure!

But this look back is focused on the recipes that you liked best, so here’s a recap of the five most viewed recipes on Baked Chicago in 2014. Which one is your favorite?

#1 – Jazzy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

#2 – Heavenly HALO Olive Oil

#3 – YOLO Bolognese Sauce for the Slow Cooker

#4 – Ranch Patty Melt

#5 – Rum-infused Bing Cherry & Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Cake

I can’t wait to find out what’s on the menu for the coming year. Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2015!

Entrees

Why is Arrabbiata Sauce angry?

Arrabbiata Sauce with Turkey Meatballs

Rating: 51

Cook Time: 4 hours

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

For Sauce:

1 large onion, chopped

5 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

56 ounces diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano, undrained

15 ounces tomato sauce

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon, or any dry red wine

8 servings cooked rotini pasta

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

For Meatballs:

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

20 ounces ground turkey, 93% lean

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 medium onions, minced

2 eggs

1 tablespoon butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

For Sauce:

In a skillet, cook the onion, bacon and garlic over medium heat until onion is tender and bacon is browned.

Transfer mixture to a 5-quart slow cooker. Set skillet aside to use when cooking meatballs later.

Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, oregano, basil, salt, and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours (or on LOW for 8 to 10 hours).

Serve over pasta and turkey meatballs. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

For Meatballs:

In a large bowl, thoroughly combine ground turkey, breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, mined onions, eggs, butter, salt and pepper.

Notes

Sauce portion of this recipe lightly adapted from Better Homes & Gardens "Year-Round Slow Cooker Recipes"

https://bakedchicago.com/arrabbiata-sauce/

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