Italian Sausage Hoagies

I love slow cooker recipes; especially for those busy days where the thought of preparing dinner sounds exhausting. This one is extra nice, because the prep work is fast and easy. You can easily throw this together before you go to work or start your day. I adapted this recipe from the May 2011 edition of Woman's Day Magazine. I love the versatility of this recipe as well (see tips). If you make these yummy hoagies, please let me know what you think!

Bon Appetit!

Tips:

Sometimes, I do not drain the tomatoes, and I add up to a pound more of the sausages. If you decide to try this, just make sure you serve it with a slotted spoon.

For those who do not eat pork, I have made this with an Italian poultry sausage. The results were excellent!

You can also serve this open-faced sandwich style. Toast thick slices of bread, and place the meat-veggie mixture on the toast. Top with cheese.

You can use any cheese you desire: asiago, goat cheese, feta, mozzarella...

I use mild Italian sausage, and add the red pepper flakes - I think it creates a perfect amount of heat.

I like to buy the hot dog buns from the bakery department of my grocery store. They are bigger than the regular hot dog buns, but smaller than the regular hoagie buns.

Preparation time is 10 to 15 minutes. Cooking time in the crockpot takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes on low or 7 hours and 10 minutes on high.

Ingredients:

1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large red onion, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 red bell pepper, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1 to 1 1/2 pounds sausage, halved crosswise
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 ounce shaved parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, garlic, onion, red bell pepper, and wine. Add the red pepper flakes if you so desire. Nestle the sausage among the vegetables, and cook, covered, until the sausage is cooked through on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Stir in 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. Serve the sausage and vegetables in the buns. Sprinkle with ground black pepper, and top with cheese. This serves four.

Per serving: 338 calories, 23 grams fat (8 grams sat), 66 mg chol, 1,153 mg sod, 19 g prot, 28 g sugar, 3 g fiber (depending on bread used)