Slow Cooker Sausage Ragu is the perfect dish for a chilly evening. Just let the slow cooker do the work for you while you await a warm, hearty meal.
This is the kind of recipe you want to come home to on a cold night. It’s loaded with Italian Sausage and ground beef which simmer all day in an herby tomato wine sauce. Served over a pile of pasta, it makes a filling one pot meal.
The sauce itself is gluten free and dairy free, loaded with carrots, celery, and mushrooms, and checks in at about 320 calories a serving. Pick a heart-healthy whole wheat or gluten free pasta to go with it, and you’ve got a hearty meal you can feel good about serving to your family. The Mr. went wild for this, and said he’d be fine if it made it onto our menu every single week. That, my friends, is high praise.
This recipe does require browning the meat before adding it to the crock pot, but other than that, it’s a throw it in and forget it recipe. I like to brown the meat and chop the vegetables the night before so I only have to spend 5 minutes in the morning getting everything ready to go.
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- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Italian Sausage (in a roll or links with casing removed)
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 2 6 ounce cans tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine
- 3 stalks celery (chopped fine)
- 4 carrots (peeled and sliced into rounds)
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lb. pasta of your choice (I like something hearty like rigatoni or cavatappi)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook the Italian sausage and ground beef over medium heat, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until beginning to brown.
- Add the chopped onion and cook until meat is no longer pink and onion is translucent.
- Drain any excess fat off the pan, then place the meat mixture in the slow cooker.
- Add the tomatoes, paste, wine, celery, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and oregano to the slow cooker and stir everything together.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve with a hearty pasta, such as pappardelle or rotini.
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian
