Slow Cooker Sunday Gravy Recipes

SLOW-COOKER SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet or a 5 1/2- to 6-quart stovetop-safe slow cooker insert over medium-high heat. Add the oil and sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until brown all over, 7 to 8 minutes. Push the sausage to the side of the cooker. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until brick red, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up the browned bits.
• Add the short ribs, Italian herbs, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, onions, bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt and some pepper to the insert and put it into the slow cooker. If you're using a skillet, transfer the tomato mixture to the slow cooker at this point. Cover the cooker, set it on low and cook until the beef is very tender, 6 to 8 hours.
• When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Transfer the sausage and beef to a cutting board, slice into serving portions and arrange on a serving platter. Toss the pasta with some of the sauce and transfer to a serving bowl.
• Serve the meat and pasta with the Parmesan and remaining sauce on the side. Freeze any leftover sauce for up to 1 month.

ITALIAN SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• 1. Heat vegetable oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet sausage and cook until well browned and fat begins to render, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Then place in a large 5-6qt slow-cooker. Repeat with hot sausage.
• 2. Cook onions in sausage fat over medium heat until well browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and cook until paste begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in wine and simmer, scraping browned bits from pan bottom with a wooden spoon, until wine is reduced, about 3 minutes. Transfer to slow-cooker. Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato sauce.
• 3. Submerge uncooked ribs and flank steak in sauce, in the slow-cooker. Set slow cooker on low, cover, and cook until meat is tender, 8-10 hours. (Alternatively, cook on high for 4-5 hours)
• 4. About 30 minutes before serving, transfer sausages, ribs, and flank steak to a baking sheet until cool enough to handle. Shred ribs and flank steak into small pieces, discarding fat and bones. Slice sausages in half, crosswise. Using wide spoon, skim fat off surface, then stir meat back into sauce. Stir in basil and pepper. Serve. Leftover gravy can be store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days. It freezes quite well.
• 5. MAKE AHEAD: The recipe can be prepared through step 2 up to 2 days in advance. After reducing the wine in step 2, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and browned sausages to the dutch oven and simmer over medium-low heat until the sausages are cooked through, about 12 minutes. Refrigerate the sausage and sauce mixture in an airtight container until ready to use. When ready to cook the gravy, warm the sauce and sausages together over medium heat until heated through, and transfer to slow-cooker. Proceed with step 3.

SLOW COOKER SUNDAY DINNER POT ROAST AND GRAVY RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Pat beef with paper towels and season all sides generously with salt and pepper.
• Sear beef in the saute pan until a nice crust forms (about 3 minutes on each side). Place beef in crock pot. Don't drain the drippings.
• Add carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic to the pan and saute for about 3 minutes.
• Pour in the diced tomatoes (with juices) and stir to combine.
• Arrange vegetables over the beef in the crock pot and pour in the beef broth with the bouillon cube dissolved.
• Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
• Pour all the liquid out of the crock pot into a small or medium sauce pan. Let simmer over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Mix butter and flour together in a small bowl and mash together with a fork until well combined (kind of like a buttery paste).
• Slowly whisk the butter mixture into the liquid from the crock pot until it starts to thicken and combine.
• If you like thick gravy, add the cornstarch as an added thickening agent. Just combine the cornstarch with cold water until dissolved and stir into the gravy, whisking until smooth.
• Season with freshly ground black pepper (I don't normally need anymore salt).

SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• Brown sausages in a large pot. When browned on all sides, remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
• Add onions to pot and saute 6-8 minutes until onions are quite soft and caramelized, and the liquid from the onions has deglazed the pot bottom. Add oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes until it loses the raw flavor. Add red wine and stir well, scraping up any fond on the bottom of the pot. Transfer contents of pot into slow cooker.
• Add tomato sauce and drained tomatoes to slow cooker. Add drained sausages, flank steak and country-style ribs, covering completely with sauce. Cook 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
• Remove spareribs and flank steak. Slice flank steak into 2" pieces across the grain, then shred both steak and pork with two forks. Discard bones and gristle. Slice sausages in half lengthwise. Return all the meats to the sauce and stir well. Add basil and stir. Serve over pasta.