Crockpot Tuscan Sausage and White Bean Ragu with Buttered Gnocchi 26-Jan-2015

I don’t have any experience with cooking gnocchi, but this recipe sounds so absolutely wonderful. Another great one from the Half-baked Harvest.

The orginal says it will make 6 servings and takes 6-7 hours in the crock pot.

Ingredients

• 1/2 of a sweet onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 (28 ounce) cans whole san marzano tomatoes
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper
• 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale, roughly chopped
• 3 cups cooked white beans (about 1 14 ounce can)
• 1 pound gnocchi
• 2 tablespoons butter
• fresh basil and parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions

1. Using your hands, crush the tomatoes over the bowl of a 4-8 quart crockpot. Add the onion, garlic, tomato paste, red wine, dried basil, dried oregano, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir.

2. Now grab the sausage and roll it into very tiny, bite size balls, adding them to the crockpot as you go. The smaller you can roll the balls, the better. Gently stir the sausage into the sauce. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, stir in the kale and white beans. Crank the heat up to high, cover and cook another 20-30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to package directions and then toss with 2 tablespoons butter and a little fresh basil + parmesan.

4. To serve, divide the gnocchi among plates or bowls. Top with the ragu and then garnish with basil and parmesan.