CrockTober 2020

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the freshly ground black pepper until cooked and crumbled. Drain well before proceeding.

Add in the onion powder, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, basil, and oregano and stir well. Cook for 1 -2 minutes. (You may stop at this point and refrigerate mixture, then proceed next day. This is a great recipe to start on a busy weeknight and then finish cooking next day in Crockpot).

Place beef mixture in large Crockpot and add in tomatoes, tomato sauce and water; stir until well combined.

Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours. (If you need to let cook all day, set Crockpot to LOW and add in an extra cup of water and let mixture cook for an hour or so longer).

During last hour of Crockpot cooking, prepare penne pasta on stove top or microwave according to package directions. Drain well and add to Crockpot mixture. Cook for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over top of pasta mixture and replace lid; allow to cook until cheese is melted, about 10-12 minutes.

Add chopped fresh basil when ready to serve.