Sausage & White Bean Ragu over Buttered Gnocchi

I browse around on various food blogs and am always amazed at the beautiful food and photography that I see. Of course, many of these people are professional food bloggers but still their sites are awesome. One such site is Half Baked Harvest http://www.halfbakedharvest.com/ This young woman is not only a great cook, but also a fantastic food photographer. Her recipes always look beautiful and delicious. Recently she posted a slow cooker recipe that I could not resist and I'm here to tell you that it was just that: totally toothsome! I made a few slight adjustments given what I had on hand. The tiny sausage meatballs are just adorable. My pictures are not as gorgeous as hers but we surely did enjoy her recipe!

Crockpot Sausage & White Bean Ragu over Buttered Gnocchi

• 1/2 of a sweet onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 4 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper
• 1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
• 1 bunch Tuscan kale, roughly chopped
• 1 can white beans, drained
• 1 pound gnocchi
• 2 tablespoons butter
• fresh basil and parmesan cheese, for topping

Instructions

To a 4-8 quart crockpot, add the two cans of tomatoes. Add the onion, garlic, broth, seasoning, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir.

Now grab the sausage and roll it into very tiny, bite size balls, adding the meatballs to the crockpot as you go. The smaller you can roll the balls, the better. Gently stir the sausage into the sauce. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 20 minutes before serving, stir in the kale and white beans. Crank the heat up to high, cover and cook another 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to package directions and then toss with 2 tablespoons butter and a little fresh basil + parmesan.

To serve, divide the gnocchi among plates or bowls. Top with the ragu and then garnish with basil and parmesan. Enjoy!

• Preparation time: 10
• Cook time: 6-8 HOURS