What's For Dinner Wednesday: Slow Cooker Pot Roast Bolognese & A Red Gold GIVEAWAY

I'm not sure about where you are, but here in Chicago fall has arrived-- and quickly. It seems that as soon as Labor Day weekend was over, the crisp cool air rolled in and it hasn't left yet. So, perhaps fall is here to stay? I can't say that I would hate it. I love fall (as you probably know if you're a regular A Squared reader) and especially love cooking at this time of year. It's the perfect time to transition out of salads and grilling to heartier comfort foods. So, I'm pulling my slow cooker out for today's dinner recipe: A hearty and flavorful slow cooker beef pot roast, prepared Bolognese-style.

A slow cooker is a wonderful kitchen tool. It's the perfect way to create slow roasted flavor with very little work. So since fall is upon us and busy evenings when your kids come home from school, I'm partnering with Red Gold Tomatoes to share a cozy low maintenance meal that can be prepped in your slow cooker in the morning and ready at dinnertime. This dish is a combination of two classic comfort foods: a slow cooked beef pot roast and hearty flavorful Italian Bolognese sauce. Normally you'll see a Bolognese sauce chock full of ground meat and chunky veggies. In this case a fork tender roast simmers in a meatless Bolognese sauce of Red Gold tomatoes, herbs, and diced fresh vegetables all day. I'm a little picky about ground meat, so after tasting this dish I have decided that I prefer it to a traditional Bolognese sauce!

And to help you get into fall slow cooking mode, Red Gold is offering an awesome giveaway for A Squared readers today! Use the Rafflecopter widget below (and be patient-- sometimes it takes a few seconds to load) to enter to win a Red Gold gift pack including a selection of Red Gold tomato products, wooden spoon, and apron! And for even more Red Gold goodies, head on over to their Facebook page where they will be giving away 2 Crock Pots a day for the next 3 weeks. Awesome!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Slow Cooker Pot Roast Bolognese

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. Olive oil
• 1.5-2 lb. beef roast, trimmed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 baby bella or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can Red Gold diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can Red Gold crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 cup beef broth
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. dry basil
• 1/2 tsp. dry oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs (or 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs)

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season roast with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Sear until brown on all sides-- about 2 -3 minutes per side. Transfer the pot roast into the base of a slow cooker. Note: If you have a multi-functional slow cooker and can sear the pot roast in it and omit the use of the skillet.

Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and mushrooms to the slow cooker.

Combine both cans of tomatoes, wine, broth, pepper flakes, basil, oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the roast and vegetables. Add bay leaves, cover, and cook on low for 6-7 hours.

In a small bowl, combine milk and breadcrumbs. Stir into the slow cooker mixture and cook on high for 1 additional hour (covered or uncovered) until sauce reaches desired thickness.

Serve with pasta, noodles, potatoes, or polenta.