Freezer Cooking~Turkey Sausage Pasta Sauce

In order for me to spend any time outside, sometimes I need to resort to drastic measures. This might mean that we'll eat 6 whole chickens in a week's time, or consume 4 pints of raspberry freezer jam in a matter of days. All with the purpose of clearing out some space in the freezer for other stuff. Important stuff.

Pasta saucy stuff.

I found this recipe in the cookbook, "The 150 Healthiest Slow Cooker Recipes on Earth." I didn't use a crockpot though. Because I'm an idiot. (Don't worry, I already knew this fact, so I'm not too upset.) In order to make a gallon of pasta sauce, one needs to make sure that their crockpot will hold a gallon's worth of sauce.

Mine is one quart shy of a gallon.

Of course. Somehow this doesn't surprise me either.

Never one to be outdone by idiocrisy, I retaliated with my trusty Dutch oven.

Because it holds 1 gallon, plus 1 quart.

I love the Dutch.

If you happen to have a bigger crockpot than I, please don't tell me. I don't want to know. I can't know. Because if I know that there are other, bigger and better crockpots out there, I will want one. And I must refrain from purchasing a new one. Because the sun is shining, and I'm holding out for one of these~

♥Cuisinart 2-quart ice cream maker♥

Just in case the nice weather decides to stick around awhile.☺

~Turkey Sausage Pasta Sauce~

~The Players~

1 c. sun-dried tomato strips in olive oil, drained, oil reserved

1-2 Tb. olive oil

2 large sweet onions, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

5 large grated carrots

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

8 links Italian turkey sausage (I could only find mild, but the original calls for spicy.)

4 (28 oz.) cans crushed or diced tomatoes

2 t. dried oregano

1/2 Tb. Sucanat (can use brown sugar)

1/2 Tb. sea salt

1 t. cracked black pepper

1 t. dried thyme

1 t. ground fennel (I only had seeds, so I used a mortar & pestle to crush them.)

In a large skillet, heat 3 Tb. reserved olive oil (from tomatoes) over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrot, and bell pepper and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the onions are softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Transfer the mixture to a crockpot or Dutch oven and add the sun-dried tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, oregano, Sucanat, salt, pepper, thyme, and fennel and stir gently to combine.

Using the same skillet, add the 1-2 Tb. olive oil and heat on medium heat. Carefully remove the sausage casing by cutting up the side of the sausage. Add the meat to the pan and crumble with a wooden spoon. Cook until sausage is no longer pink. Add to the crockpot/Dutch oven and stir well. 

If using a crockpot, cook on low for 6-8 hours. In a Dutch oven, cook on low (with a lid) for approximately 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid and cook an additional 30 minutes longer to allow mixture to thicken up.

This makes approximately 1 gallon. Zucchini would be a great addition for summertime sauce.

Oh wait, I don't like zucchini...☺

Enjoy!