Okay, so I’ve been wanting to try making a big batch of something hearty and delicious that I could use for multiple meals. I saw this recipe for bison ragu and thought, “Perfect! Slow cooker, here I come!”
Getting Started
First, I gathered all my ingredients. I had to make a special trip to the store for the bison, but everything else was pretty standard – onions, carrots, celery, garlic, canned tomatoes, beef broth, and some herbs.
- Ground bison (I used about 2 pounds)
- One large onion, chopped
- Two carrots, diced
- Two celery stalks, diced
- A bunch of garlic cloves, minced (like, 5 or 6)
- A big can of crushed tomatoes
- A can of diced tomatoes
- Beef broth (about a cup)
- Dried oregano and basil
- Salt and pepper, of course
- A little bit of red wine (because why not?)
The Prep Work
I started by browning the bison in a skillet. I wanted to get some good color on it for extra flavor. I drained off any excess fat, because bison is pretty lean anyway.
Then, I tossed the onions, carrots, and celery into the same skillet and cooked them until they were softened, maybe 5-7 minutes. I added the garlic in the last minute or so, just until it was fragrant. You don’t want to burn that garlic!
Slow Cooker Time!
This is the easy part! I dumped the browned bison, the cooked veggies, and all the other ingredients into my slow cooker. I gave it a good stir to make sure everything was mixed up.
I set the slow cooker to low and let it cook for about 8 hours. The house smelled amazing all day. I did check on it a couple times and added a splash more broth once when it looked a little dry, beacuse my cooker sometimes runs hot.
The Finished Product
After 8 hours, the bison was super tender, and the sauce had thickened up nicely. It all melted toghter, you know? I served it over some pasta, with my family. It was a huge hit!
I had a ton of leftovers, so I froze some for later. It’s great to have a delicious, homemade meal ready to go in the freezer. This bison ragu is definitely going into my regular rotation. I love it.
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