Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [38]
1½ cups milk
1½ pounds fresh spinach and cheese or other tortellini
coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.
put the tomatoes, basil, 1½ cups of the Parmigiano, the garlic, pine nuts, pepper, and balsamic vinegar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on and off to break up the tomatoes, garlic, and pine nuts. Add the butter and flour, and pulse on and off until the mixture is incorporated, about 30 seconds.
transfer the mixture to a large skillet over high heat. Add the broth and bring the sauce to a boil, whisking until thickened. Add the milk and bring the sauce back to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
spread half the tortellini in the slow cooker. Top with half the sauce and half the remaining 1 cup cheese.
top with layers of the remaining tortellini, sauce, and cheese. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the pasta is tender and the casserole is bubbling. Remove the cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
serve from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6
Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. In a slow cooker, chunks of cheese can be laced between the layers of noodles, allowing the cheese to melt slowly during the cooking process, giving you more of its cheesy, oozy goodness. The template for macaroni and cheese is simple: a creamy white sauce, plenty of cheese, and any small pasta, such as shells or tiny rigatoni, if you don’t have elbow macaroni on hand. Variations happen when you substitute cheese and add other ingredients that your family enjoys—so have fun with this one. If your children absolutely won’t eat a mac and cheese that doesn’t have that Day-Glo orange color, the King Arthur Flour Web site sells powdered cheese for just that effect! The entire casserole can be assembled in a slow-cooker liner and then refrigerated or frozen for later use. Before cooking, defrost the frozen casserole overnight in the refrigerator, bringing it up to room temperature for 45 minutes, and you will be on your way to slow-cooked comfort.
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
1 small onion or shallot, finely chopped (about ¼ cup, see savvy)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cups chicken broth
1½ cups milk
4 drops Tabasco sauce
5 cups finely shredded mild yellow and sharp white Cheddar cheese, plus extra to top
6 cups elbow macaroni, cooked just short of al dente (see savvy)
½ cup crushed buttery crackers such as Ritz or Pepperidge Farm Golden Butter Crackers
coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.
melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until the onion is softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking constantly. Gradually add the broth and milk and bring the sauce to a boil, whisking constantly.
add the Tabasco and remove the sauce from the heat. Add 3 cups of the cheese to the sauce and stir to melt. Spread half the macaroni in the slow-cooker insert and pour half the sauce over the macaroni.
sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over the layer. Repeat with the remaining macaroni and sauce and 1 cup of the cheese. Cover and cook for on low for 4 to 5 hours, until the mac and cheese is bubbling and cooked through.
sprinkle a little more cheese and the crackers over the top of the mac and cheese. Remove the cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes. Allow the mac and cheese to rest about 10 minutes.
serve in the cooker set on warm.
serves 6–8
BLUE CHEESE MAC AND CHEESE follow the directions for the Old-Fashioned Mac and Cheese. add 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce with the Tabasco. substitute crumbled blue cheese for 3 cups of the Cheddar. Use half the blue cheese in the sauce and the rest between the layers and sprinkled on top. Proceed as directed.
SMOKY GOUDA MAC AND CHEESE follow the directions for the Old-Fashioned