Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers made in Slow Cooker

Baked Ziti with Sausage and Peppers (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients...

Vegetable oil spray

1 T. EVOO

1 pound Italian sausage, removed from casing

2 onions, minced

1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2" pieces

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2' pieces

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 T. minced fresh oregano, or 1 t. dried....I used dried

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

8 oz. (2 & 1/2 cups) ziti...I used regular size, but would recommend the mini ziti

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

Hot water, as needed

1. Line slow cooker with aluminum foil collar and coat with vegetable oil spray. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium high heat until just smoking. Brown sausage well, breaking up large pieces with wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Add onions, bell peppers, garlic, and oregano and cook until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 8-10 minutes.

2. Stir in tomatoes and heavy cream, scraping up any browned bits, and simmer until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in ziti, salt and pepper.

3. Transfer ziti mixture to prepared slow cooker and spread tomato sauce evenly over pasta. Cover and cook until pasta in tender, about 3 hours, on high.

4. Remove foil collar. Gently stir pasta, adding hot water as needed to loosen sauce consistency. Sprinkle with mozzarella, cover, and let sit until melted, about 5 minutes. Serve.

Reason for and how to make the foil collar, per America's Test Kitchen:

Most slow cookers have a hotter side (typically the back side, opposite the side with the controls) that can cause casseroles to burn. To solve the problem you line the cooker with a foil collar. To make a foil collar: Layer and fold sheets of heavy duty foil until you have a 6 layered foil rectangle approx. 16" long x 4" wide. Press the collar into the back of the slow-cooker insert; the food will help hold the collar in place during cooking.