When the temperatures are frigid outside, your slow cooker is your best friend.
Throw in all your ingredients first thing in the morning and reap the cozy benefits come dinnertime.
When using my slow cooker, my natural inclination has been to skew toward heavy dishes like short ribs and stews with meats that require a long time to braise and break down.
Then I found this hearty vegetarian pasta dish that was surprisingly delicious. It still satisfies the need for cozy comfort food when it is 11 degrees outside but provides a nice alternative when you are looking to be a little healthier.
Whether you are outside sledding with the kids, diving into a family jigsaw puzzle, or curling up in front of the fire with a good book, your slow cooker gets you out of the kitchen and frees you up to make all of these winter activities possible.
And if you are driving kids all over town, there is nothing better than getting everyone home at the same time with dinner ready and waiting for you to dig in.
I am a big fan of All Clad and that is the slow cooker brand I use. It is perfect for short ribs, chilis, soups, stews and pasta. Keep it out on the counter for this cold winter season making prep even easier, and do not be afraid to try all kinds of things.
One bonus recipe is not even a recipe; simply throw four frozen boneless chicken breasts (or nine frozen boneless skinless chicken thighs) in the slow cooker along with one jar of Trader Joe’s salsa verde and cook on high for four hours.
That’s it!
Use a second jar of salsa verde for serving along with black beans, cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, matchstick sliced radishes and any other topping you like. I like to doctor my black beans by sautéing some garlic, onion, green pepper, tomato and jalapeño before adding the black beans.
Simmer and add some cumin and fresh cilantro before adding to your taco.
Slow cooker cooking is meant to be easy, cozy, and delicious. So have some fun with it and stay warm enjoying all the deep flavors that come with long slow cooking.
Slow Cooker Baked Spinach and Mushroom Rigatoni
Serves 4
Ingredients:
One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
½ pound rigatoni
1 red onion, sliced
1 pound mixed mushrooms (i.e. cremini, button, shitake), trimmed and sliced
Two 10-ounce packages of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess liquid
One 15-ounce container ricotta
8 ounces mozzarella, grated
Grated Parmesan, for serving
Directions:
Break up the tomatoes and their juices in a medium bowl with your hands or a potato masher. Add the oil, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper.
In a separate medium bowl, combine the uncooked rigatoni, onion, & mushrooms.
Spread ⅓ of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Top with half the pasta mixture, half the spinach, ⅓ of the tomato mixture, half the ricotta, and half the mozzarella; repeat.
Cover and cook on high until the pasta is tender, 3½ to 4 hours.
