What's Cooking?

Thrifty Texas Penny wrote this week about how Necessity Can Simplify Your Life and that is so true.

I had some eggplants that desperately needed to be used up and a review that needed to be written so I slammed them together and VOILA!  Simplicity.  :)

I was asked to review the new Progresso Recipe Starters Cooking Sauces and thought the best way forward was to make a pasta sauce with my eggplants, basil, peppers, and onions from the garden and their Fire Roasted Tomato sauce.

First of all, let me just say that as I was reading the label on the can (anyone else do that with new products) and noticed that it said the sauce could actually be used as a soup by itself.  What a brilliant idea!  A bold soup or a good base for other dishes.  Y'all know I love things that pull double duty.

There are 5 flavors to choose from including Fire Roasted Tomato, Creamy Parmesan Basil, Creamy Roasted Garlic, Creamy Three Cheese, and Creamy Portabello Mushroom.  I picked up one of each from the store when they were on sale.  (And by the way, there is a coupon for $.50/1 coupon in the 8/15 or 9/9 SS in case you want to try these out for yourself.)

I'm looking forward to trying the mushroom with steak, and the basil in a chicken, broccoli, rice casserole, and the garlic in potatoes dauphinoise, and the three cheese in mac & cheese.  Any of those dishes will take no time since the sauce part is already done for you!

Whatever veggies and herbs you have on hand that you like in your pasta sauce are perfectly acceptable.  If your peeps don't like chunks, then puree the sauce down before you serve it.  As per usual, this is my preferred "Dump Method" of cooking.

Crock Pot Pasta Sauce (made with Progresso Recipe Starters)

Eggplant
Can of Tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Onion
Garlic
Basil
Italian Seasoning
Red Chili Flakes
Salt
Progresso Recipe Starters Fire Roasted Tomato

Chop up veggies and dump in the crock pot.
Dump in the tomatoes, herbs, Italian Seasoning, and Chili Flakes.
Turn the crock pot on low for 4 hours before dumping in the Fire Roasted Sauce.
Cook one more hour on low.
Season with salt and more Italian Seasoning if needed.
Serve over pasta that you dumped in pasta bowls.

This is part of Full Plate Thursday.

*I was sent the Progresso recipe starter from BzzAgent to review.  All opinions and weird cooking methods are my own.