Sunday Suppers are becoming a new tradition at our house, but they’re not the same gather-the-entire-family-’round-the-dining-room-table events that we grew up with down South. For us, Sunday Supper means making a big batch of something delicious that will turn into another meal (maybe even 3 meals!) in a snap. Brooke likes to stretch a Sunday meal ’til Tuesday. Can you blame here? On weeknights, time is short and everyone’s hungry at 6:00. The trick is to make something that can be transformed each day so you don’t eat the exact same thing 3 days in a row.

Three-in-One meals, kinda fun, huh? We’re addicted. We get creative and our grocery bills get cut in half.

For me, these meals mean leaving behind the sous vide machine and getting down home with the ol’ slow cooker. We love to start with tougher cuts of meat that take a lot of time to cook. While they’re stewing away, rich luscious sauces develop that become a meal in their own right. One afternoon of cooking and a few fresh ingredients each subsequent day means a different meal every day–and in just ten minutes! Smart, tasty economical… we love bragging on our new culinary baby…

This weeks meal started with beef shanks that were braised in tomato sauce with sausages.

Check the recipe below and then we’ll give you the break down of the three meals we made from one recipe.


Braised Beef Shanks with Sausage
olive oil, as needed
2 lbs bone in beef or veal shanks or beef short ribs
1 head garlic, cut in half
1 bundle fresh herbs- thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley
1 cup carrots, diced
1 1/2 cups onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1/2 lb italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth or water
Turn on a sow cooker and set to low heat.
Place a heavy bottomed or cast iron over med-high heat and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Pat the beef shanks dry, season well with salt and pepper and place in the pan to sear. Add the garlic and herbs to the pan and continue cooking. When the first side is well browned turn the shanks over and brown on the second side. Remove the browned beef shanks from the pan and place in the slow cooker.

Add the carrots, onions and celery to the pan and saute until very tender. Add more oil to the pan if necessary. When the vegetables are tender add the tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and add the sausage. If the meat is not completely covered add more  broth to cover. Place the lid on the slow cooker so it is only half covered and leave to cook 10 hours or until the meat can easily be pulled from the bone.
So here are the meals:
Meal #1:
After 2 hours of cooking: we pulled out some of the sausages and ate them on crusty bread with a little bit of sauce and a salad.
Meal #2
Chunks of the braise beef with sauce on top of broccoli rabe and white beans that were sauteed with olive oil, garlic and lemon zest.

Meal #3
PASTA! Recipe to come… check back soon.