Pork Ragu. My new favorite slow cooker recipe.

I have said it before... I do not like the slow cooker.  Yet, I keep using it.  The lure of an easy meal at the end of a day of work is too hard to resist.  But more often than not in my experience it turns out mush or just way to bland.  And the recipes that I have seen that promise to rectify this problem take way too much prep time.  We are talking browning/searing meat or cooking ingredients first.  Wait, isn't that what the slow cooker is supposed to eliminate?

Whatever recipe I use has to be as simple as plop and plug.  So using this prerequisite, I have found a few new favorites.  The brisket french dip was great.  And now I'll add Slow Cooker Pork Ragu to my list of "make agains".  It makes it into the binder for sure.

Real Simple's Pork Ragu (with a few tweaks)

2 celery ribs, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion (we generally have a "no onion" household, so not used here!)
2 cloves garlic
2 T tomato paste
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried oregano
salt and pepper as desired
1-2 cans (14.5oz) undrained diced tomatoes (if using 2 I suggest draining one of them)
1/5-3lbs boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat

combine all ingredients and cook on low for 7-8 hrs (love that)
serve over pasta and garnish with Parmesan

And here is the binder.  Pages of favorite recipes tucked into protective sheets and generally splattered with food: to which I am now adding the pork ragu.  A pocket for my blank menu/grocery lists and a few coupons stuck in there for my next trip to the store.