Joey's Slow Cooker Cowboy Lasagna

 

 

 

  If you know me, you know that I love canning. Pressure canning, water bath canning, steam canning, Love it. Not only does it provide me with a well-stocked pantry full of shelf stable food, but also I find it to be very therapeutic. It’s a great way to reduce stress and turn off your brain for a while. Some people like knitting and crocheting, I like canning.
 Anyway. recently I was pressure canning pints of chili for chili dogs, and I also did a big batch of Sloppy Joes. Most of the jars sealed up perfectly, but then there were a few that didn’t seal.  So that left me with two choices. I could either process it in the pressure canner again, or I could just put it in the fridge and eat it sooner than later.
 I opted for B.
I transferred all of the unsealed jars to a larger container. And then I got to thinking.. “well, now, what am I gonna do with all this chili/meat sauce?” I could do a hot-dogs-and-chili sort of casserole, I could make nachos, I could just simply have a bowl of warm chili with some shredded cheese and sour cream on top… hmmm..
 Then I thought, what about a lasagna? Only instead of Marinara sauce, I could use the chili as the meat sauce. Perfect!  I thought, oooo that sounds like it should be called Cowboy Lasagna. So I googled it, and whadya know,  Cowboy Lasagna is already a thing! Who knew? I googled some more and found a few different recipes and it basically this was my flight of ideas:
 … hmm.. this one has sausage in it.. I just happen to have some sausage!  great.. … next.. peppers, onions…awesome..  got ‘em, perfect… what else… cheese? Yup.. Cheddar and Mozzarella.. so far so good.. what else.. a few spices… ground cumin, paprika, definitely…. It needs something fresh… parsley! YES…. Keep googling other recipes… oh look.. this one has pepperoni on the top.. I have that too!
 It kind of cracked me up, because it felt like I was cleaning out my fridge and using up all of my leftover ingredients that all just happened to work for this recipe. I guess my biggest “outside the box” moment was when I added a little cream over the noodles instead of doing ricotta or cottage cheese. I really just wanted to focus on the meat sauce and noodles, instead of doing a whole cheese layer. Adding a drizzle of cream was just the right amount of richness. One might even call that the A HA moment. Well, that and the fact that I had half of a container of heavy cream in the fridge, waiting to be used up.
 So there we have it. Cowboy Lasagna, all thrown together while I was on my lunch break, and ready by the time I arrived home for dinner.  Easy, delicious, comforting, and perfect for a Fall dinner. 

If you like chili, you’ll love this one!



Vegetable oil
1 lb Italian sausage (hot and/or mild)
2 bell peppers, any color
1 medium onion
4-6 cups of your favorite chili
A handful of chopped fresh parsley
A few shakes of each:
            Ground cumin
            Paprika
            Dried oregano
            Salt
            Black pepper
1 box uncooked lasagna noodles
16 oz shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
16 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
Heavy cream
Pepperoni slices


  Add a few glugs of oil to a large skillet. Remove sausage casings (if needed) and brown the sausage over medium heat, breaking it up as you go. Add the chopped peppers and onions, and continue to sauté.
When the meat is brown and the veggies are soft, pour everything into a giant mixing bowl. Add the chili, parsley, oregano, and spices. Stir until well combined.
Spray your biggest slow cooker with non stick cooking spray. 

Spread a cup or two of the meat mixture across the bottom.
Now do a layer of dry lasagna noodles, breaking them into smaller pieces as needed to complete the layer. Drizzle just a little heavy cream over the noodles, (not too much!) then sprinkle with a little of each kind of shredded cheese.
Do this 2 or 3 more times, or as many layers as your slow cooker will allow.

Meat, noodles, cream, shredded cheese.
Now place slices of pepperoni  across the top and sprinkle with a little more chopped parsley. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours. At this point, it'll be very soupy, so it's best to turn off the heat and let it set up for a bit before cutting into it. Serve with a big dollop of sour cream on top.


Tips:
All of the amounts are just guide lines. If you like a lot of something, add a lot!
If you don’t have chili already made, you can use Hormel, or just make a meat sauce with ground beef and tomato puree, then add chili seasonings to it. If you're not sure what spices go in chili, it's easiest just to add a packet of ready made chili seasoning, like Chili-O. 

If you'd like a spicier lasagna, add the pepperoni slices to each layer, not just the top!
I didn’t add beans, but you absolutely can. Any kind you like! Just rinse and drain them, then toss them into your meat mixture. Red, black, any kind you like! You could even just add a can of regular pork and beans, sauce and all. Or even a can of corn. It will all work!
Feel free to add any kind of hot peppers, crushed red pepper flakes, Tabasco Sauce, or any other kind of heat, as much as you dare. You do you!
If you don’t have a slow cooker, this recipe can also be made in a regular 9x13 casserole dish and then baked in the oven. Bake it at 350º, covered, for about an hour. And while it’s baking, go on Amazon and buy yourself a slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Turkey Breast

 When we think of a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, the image that immediately comes to mind is something like the iconic Norman Rockwell painting, Freedom From Want. It depicts a large group of people gathered around the dinner table while a humongous turkey is being presented as the centerpiece for the feast. Since I have a ginormous wonderful family, I can certainly relate to this idea!

 But what if your wonderful family isn't so ginormous? What if you have maybe 3 or 4 people instead of 20 or 30? Yes, you'd still love to serve a terrific Turkey Dinner for Thanksgiving, but you've decided you're definitely not gonna cook a giant turkey. What are your options? Well, this recipe answers that question! 

  I first saw a version of this recipe in a tik tok video, and I gave it a try. LOVED it! But immediately thought I could make it better. After a few tries, I think THIS is the best one! It's SO easy to do, it only takes a few minutes to throw together, and since it's in a slow cooker, it frees up your oven for other dishes like casseroles or roasted veggies. And the gravy that it makes is absolutely delicious! Another great fact about this recipe is that you don't have to serve it just for thanksgiving. It's an easy simple weeknight meal! Also it's perfect for me, since most of the time I'm just cooking for myself. Turkey just happens to be my all time favorite dinner, and now I get to have it as often as I want! This recipe is just that easy. 

 So if you're looking for a Thanksgiving option, or if you just happen to love turkey as much as I do, give this one a try.  It's definitely a keeper!

1 (3lb) Butterball boneless turkey breast, including gravy packet

1 can jellied cranberry sauce

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning

Cracked black pepper to taste 

Big splash of white wine

3 pats of butter

3 tbs flour 

 

 

  Defrost your frozen turkey breast in the fridge for a day or two. Since it's so small, it doesn't take a long time. When it's completely thawed, remove the packaging, but be sure to leave the netting that holds the turkey intact. I usually rinse the turkey of all the extra liquid from the packaging, and then pat it dry with a paper towel. 

  In a 3 quart slow cooker, combine all of the sauce ingredients, except the butter and flour. Be sure to include the packet of gravy that comes with the turkey breast. I usually use a whisk to break up the jellied cranberry sauce. Place the turkey breast in the slow cooker, and turn until coated. Place a few pats of butter on top. Cook your turkey for 6 hours on low.

 Remove the turkey to a cutting board. Very carefully remove the netting using scissors or a sharp knife. Slice the turkey into nice thick glorious slices. Place on a serving platter.

 Now make the gravy. Turn the slow cooker to high. In a small bowl or mason jar, make a slurry by mixing 3 tbs of flour with the same amount of COLD water. Pour the slurry into the slow cooker and stir well. Let it continue to cook for a few minutes. Your gravy will thicken perfectly. Pour gravy over your fanned turkey slices, or serve in a gravy boat. 

 Now dig in!

Tips:

 You can easily use home made or whole berry cranberry sauce. It will all work!

Yes, I know, I know. Onion soup mix and cranberries.. who knew? But it definitely works, just like when I made Cranberry Chicken many years ago. In fact, you could use this same recipe with chicken too! Actually, come to think of it, if you have a large 7 quart slow cooker, you could easily use this recipe to make a 9 lb oven stuffer. I just might have to do that one of these days. 

 If you don't want to add the wine, add a splash of something else to add a little acid. Balsamic or cider vinegar, a squeeze of lemon, anything with a little tang to it. It will brighten the flavor and balance the sweetness. 

 There is no added salt included in this recipe because the onion soup mix already has that covered. 

 The cooking time is listed as 6 hours on low. I suppose you can do 3 hours on high, but I've never tried it. Some things just taste better when you cook them low and slow. Usually I just set it up at lunch time and then it's perfectly ready by dinnertime.

Serve this with more jellied cranberries, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, corn casserole, stuffing, and candied sweet potatoes. Pro tip: Pour gravy over everything!