Recipe: Slow cooker beef ragu

Something warm, heavy and filling sounded pretty wonderful during these past few snow days. I'd purchased stew beef to make some beef stew, but our carrots had disappeared somehow overnight (I think as part of failed attempts to make a snowman). And pasta sounded better.

So, after looking around online for some ideas, I made my own beef ragu in the slow cooker. It was delicious and makes enough for at least three meals for my family of four (smaller eaters).

two 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes (or some assortment of tomatoes that comes to about 56 ounces. I used one large can of crushed tomatoes, one 14-ounce can diced tomatoes and some pasta sauce I had in the refrigerator)

Chop up the onion and garlic. Put the veggies and beef in the slow cooker. Stir in the tomato paste, beef broth, crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Mix it all up. Put on the lid and cook on high for six to eight hours.

Once cooked, pull out the beef and shred, then place the meat back in the cooker and give it another stir. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve over pasta with some grated Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.