Websites and television shows
seem inundated with requests for quick and easy slow cooker recipes. Here are
two recipes that my family enjoys. Both have amazing sauces that pair well with
rice or pasta and make for a filling and delicious meal.
Slow cooker steak bites
Serves 5 This is a great mid-week quick meal. My kids love it and scoop up the
sauce with the rice.
• 1 (250g) can crushed pineapple packed in juice,
lightly drained
• 1/3 cup sweet Asian chili sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon lite soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to taste
• 680 grams lean steak, cut
into about 30 bite-size pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion,
finely chopped
Place pineapple, chili sauce, soy sauce, and crushed red pepper
in a crock pot. Mix well. Season steak with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon
pepper and add to the crock pot. Add onion and stir to coat.
Cover and cook on
high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours (Alternatively, recipe can be
baked in the oven, covered, at 325 degrees F for 3 to 4 hours).
Serve
with rice.
Slow cooker Bolognese sauce Serves 8 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk,
finely chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and cracked black
pepper
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon
ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2/3 cup soymilk
• Two 800 grams cans
crushed tomatoes
• 450 grams ground beef or turkey
• 450 grams ground steak
•
Pasta, for serving
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add
the garlic, carrots, celery and onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook
about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, thyme and nutmeg, and continue cooking
until the vegetables have softened and started to brown, about 2 minutes.
Deglaze with the wine, pulling up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Season
with salt and pepper.
Carefully transfer to the slow cooker. Stir in the
soymilk and tomatoes. Mix the beef and steak together in a separate bowl, using
your hands, until combined. Stir the meat into the slow cooker, spreading out
evenly and avoiding any large clumps. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or
on low 8 to 10 hours. Skim the accumulated grease from the surface before
serving.
Serve over pasta with crusty bread for soaking up the sauce.
These recipes were brought to you by www.gourmetkoshercooking.com