SLOW COOKER ITALIAN SAUSAGE RAGU with BUCATINI PASTA RECIPE | Cooking With Carolyn

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Ground turkey is lower in fat, while ground beef is often less expensive.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free, while pecorino is often cheaper than parmesan.

Chop celery, onion, green bell pepper, garlic, and cremini mushrooms.

Add fresh basil, black pepper, salt, dried thyme, dried oregano, and a bay leaf.

Remove casings from turkey Italian sausage and lay it in the bottom of the slow cooker insert.

Pour chopped vegetables and spices over the sausage in the slow cooker.

Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste on top of the vegetables and sausage.

Add 1 tablespoon of honey to the mixture and stir everything together.

Refrigerate the slow cooker insert overnight.

The next morning, place the insert in the heating element and set to low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Cut fresh baguette on the bias and brush each piece with olive oil.

Grill the baguette pieces on a hot griddle until toasted.

Rub each piece of grilled bread with a clove of garlic and season with salt and pepper.

Wrap the seasoned bread in aluminum foil to keep warm in the oven.

Boil bucatini pasta in salted water for about 7-8 minutes.

Drain the pasta without rinsing and return it to the pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Taste the pasta to ensure it's cooked properly before serving.

Ladle hot Italian sausage ragu over the bucatini pasta.

Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens