Friday, October 29, 2010

Crockpot American Chop Suey

Anything is the crockpot is bound to be a winner, and if you create a pasta crockpot meal, well... that's just pure awesome.

It's rare that I make a recipe that calls for dry pasta to go into the crockpot, so I was surprised by the starchy, gummy texture of the elbows.  Is that normal?  It was a little bit of a turn-off for me, actually, so next time I think I would just cook the pasta separately on the stove.

This makes a TON, so be prepared to eat a lot of leftovers (I mixed some ricotta in for lunch the next day - yum!).  


Crockpot American Chop Suey
  • 1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
  • 5 bacon strips, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes --- any flavor, or plain
  • 1 can water (empty tomato can)
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 (26-ounce) jar prepared pasta sauce
  • 1 (16-ounce) package elbow macaroni (I used brown rice pasta)
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (optional)
Use a 6-quart slow cooker. In a large skillet, brown the beef, bacon and onion all together until the meat is no longer pink. Drain well and plop into your slow cooker. Add everything else into the pot except for the pasta and cheese.
Stir to combine. Cover and cook on  low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for about 4. Stir in the raw pasta and cook on high for approximately 30 minutes, or until pasta is bite-tender. Serve in a wide-mouthed bowl with a handful of cheese on each serving.

3 comments:

  1. Every time we put pasta in the crockpot, it comes out kind of gross. After a few times, we stopped adding it and just do what you mentioned (cook the pasta on the stovetop when it's ready to be served).

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  2. I made this tonight for me and my hubs. It was good, just lacked a little flavor. Will definitely have to find something to add a little more flavor but it was good and will like to make it again.

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  3. Try grd beef AND grd pork for more flavor. Add red or green bell pepper too, when browning meat.

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