Looking for a hot, hearty meal that can be cooked quickly? Here, Chris Kimball shares his delicious crockpot recipes for red-wine braised short ribs, parmesan risotto and sausage lasagna.
Recipe: Red wine-braised short ribs (on this page) Recipe: Parmesan risotto (on this page) Recipe: Sausage lasagna (on this page)Short ribs are all about the meat and the sauce. One taste of these long-cooked ribs with their dark glossy sauce and you'll be glad you put your microwave and skillet to work first.
Arrange beef bones in a dish and microwave (in batches, if microwave is small) until well browned, 10 to 15 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
Dry short ribs with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of short ribs well on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and remaining short ribs; transfer to slow cooker.
Add onions, carrot, celery, tomato paste, and thyme to fat in skillet and cook over medium-high heat until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in wine and vinegar, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Bring to simmer and cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
Stir broth and bay leaves into slow cooker. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
Transfer short ribs to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. Let braising liquid settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Strain braising liquid, discarding solids, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in parsley. Spoon 1 cup sauce over short ribs and serve with remaining sauce.
Separating the meat from the bones-and "roasting" the bones in a surprising way-yields the most flavorful dish. To remove the meat from the bones, insert a knife between the rib and meat, staying as close to the bone as possible, and saw the meat off the bone. Before adding the bones to the slow cooker, microwave them for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cooking time: 9 to 11 hours on low; 5 to 7 hours on high
Risotto usually demands the cook's attention from start to finish which is why this hands-off slow-cooker version is so appealing. Finished with butter, nutty Parmesan, a dash of lemon juice, and fresh chives, this risotto is so creamy that no one would suspect you didn't spend time at the stovetop laboriously stirring it.
Coat slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12_inch skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in rice and cook, stirring often, until ends of rice kernels are transparent, about 3 minutes. Stir in wine and cook until fully absorbed, about 1 minute; transfer to slow cooker.
Bring broth and water to boil in saucepan. Stir 3 cups hot broth mixture into slow cooker. Cover and cook until rice is tender, about 2 hours on high.
Return reserved broth mixture to boil. Slowly stream 2 cups more hot broth mixture into slow cooker, stirring gently, until liquid is absorbed and risotto is creamy, about 1 minute.
Gently stir in Parmesan, chives, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and lemon juice. (Adjust risotto consistency with additional hot broth mixture as needed.) Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve. (This dish does not hold well on warm setting.)
Cooking time: About 2 hours on high
Line slow cooker with aluminum foil collar, then line with foil sling and coat with vegetable oil spray. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add broken lasagna noodles and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain noodles, rinse under cold water until cool, then spread out in single layer over clean kitchen towels and let dry. (Do not use paper towels; they will stick to noodles.)
In bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, basil, egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce into prepared slow cooker.
Arrange 4 lasagna noodle pieces in slow cooker (they may overlap), then dollop 9 rounded tablespoons of ricotta mixture over noodles. Pinch off one-third of sausage into tablespoon-sized pieces and drop over ricotta. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella, then spoon 1/2 cup sauce over top. Repeat layering of lasagna noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, and sauce twice more.
For final layer, arrange remaining 4 noodles in slow cooker, then top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Cover and cook until lasagna is heated through, about 4 hours on low.
Let lasagna cool for 20 minutes. Using sling, transfer lasagna to serving platter and serve.
We tried several different methods for arranging the rectangular lasagna noodle pieces in the oval-shaped slow cooker and, though they all worked fine, we preferred to arrange them lengthwise. Lay the noodles as evenly as possible in each layer, overlapping them slightly, or leaving small bare spots, as needed.
Serves 6 to 8; Cooking time: About 4 hours on low
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