Any time a wine sauce is added to a dish, it automatically makes it a little fancier! This is a great dish to impress relatives or a date, or to please any guests that visit your home. Or, serve this meal to your family for a special dinner that doesn't take a lot of effort on your part to cook.
This recipe uses a slow cooker for most of the cooking process. There are some steps required outside of that, but the bulk of the cooking is handled in the crock pot. This dish will take nine to eleven hours on low or five to seven hours on high to cook, so make sure you plan your schedule accordingly. If you plan on cooking this recipe on low, you'll want to start it very early in the day.
If you'd rather, make your own white sandwich bread for this recipe instead of buying it from the store. If you choose to go with store-bought, make sure the bread is high in quality. Cheap bread won't do it for this recipe! If you have a bakery near you, grab a loaf of bread from them.
Whether you choose to serve this recipe to others or keep it for just your family, this beef dish is sure to delight. It's one you'll want to keep on hand, for whenever you want something a little indulgent that doesn't require lots of effort. Spend quality time with your family or guests while this cooks in the slow cooker!
Beef with Wine Sauce
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 2 teaspoon dried
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup dry red wine
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (28-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
¼ cup whole milk
2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
Salt and pepper
½ cup minced fresh basil
Directions:
1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, oregano, and red pepper flakes and cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker.
2. Stir crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce into slow cooker.
3. Mash bread and milk into paste in large bowl using fork. Mix in ground beef, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper using hands. Stir beef mixture into slow cooker, breaking up any large pieces. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
4. Let sauce settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Break up any remaining large pieces of beef with spoon. Before serving, stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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