Ragu | I Can Cook That

Pressure Cooker Puttanesca Pork Ragu

I think fall cooking might be my favorite kind of cooking. I love comfort food meals that make the whole house smell good! And anything I can put over pasta is guaranteed to be a winning recipe in my house. So this Pressure Cooker Puttanesca Pork Ragu is right up my alley.

I came across a recipe for a puttanesca-style ragu and knew I had to try out my own version! Puttanesca sauces typically have a bunch of brine-y ingredients in them — capers, olives, anchovies — in a tomato sauce that may have a little heat to it as well. I honestly don’t make many puttanesca-inspired dishes because, well, I don’t love olives. But my husband does, so I figured it was worth a try!

This recipe uses a pressure cooker to get that cooking all day flavor in much less time. You’re still looking at a just under 2-hour recipe though, so plan ahead!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
10 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon anchovy paste
3 (4.5 oz) tomato paste tubes
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup drained capers
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup dry wine, red or white
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder
salt and ground pepper
cooked pasta, for serving
grated parmesan cheese, optional
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

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Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu

This Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu is the ultimate comfort food and is perfect for busy fall weeknights!

It is definitely feeling like fall in Philadelphia now. The days are getting shorter, and there is a chill in the air. Which means my slow cooker is back in full force!

I absolutely love my slow cooker (paid link). It makes me so happy to come back to an awesome comfort food meal at the end of the day. This recipe for Slow Cooker Short Rib Ragu is basically a really thick meat sauce, made with shredded boneless short ribs. And. It’s fantastic.

This can be served over pasta, egg noodles, polenta, or even mashed potatoes (I went with pappardelle pasta for this round). The recipe makes quite a bit, so you can stock your freezer for nights you just don’t feel like cooking.

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless short ribs
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained
1 cup red wine
3 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 bay leaf

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Mushroom and Sausage Ragu with Creamy Polenta

With the weather starting to cool off a bit, I had a hankering for something a little more hearty that I could still prepare on a weeknight. This recipe from Cooking Light incorporates mushrooms and turkey sausage into a tomato sauce to make a filling but lighter meal. The polenta is kicked up a notch with the addition of some cream cheese to add some decadence to the whole dish. I kept this recipe mostly in tact and just messed with some of the amounts for the ingredients. To see the original recipe, click here. Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
8 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
3/4 cup chopped onion
20 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
2 large (or 4 small) garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon coconut aminos (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup cornmeal
3 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1 tablespoon butter

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