Slow Cooker Pizza in a Pot —rsquo; The Big Pot That Carries Everything

I took Megan to the Polish Center on Lincoln Avenue. This is where I learned to make pierogi — where Mrs. Wojcik, who must be ninety by now, taught a grieving twenty-one-year-old kid how to fold dough. I wanted Megan to see it. I wanted her to understand where all this comes from.

The Center was hosting a fall harvest dinner — pierogi, bigos, golabki, kielbasa, the whole spread, served family-style in the big hall with the polka band and the old men arguing about soccer and the grandmothers passing babies around like they were football. Megan looked at it all and said, "This is what Thanksgiving would look like if it were Polish." I said, "In this building, every meal is Thanksgiving."

Mrs. Wojcik was there. She's smaller than I remember — shrunken, bent, but still sharp. She saw me and said, "The pierogi boy." She hasn't called me anything else in four years. I introduced Megan. Mrs. Wojcik looked at her, looked at me, and said, "Does she make pierogi?" I said, "Not yet." Mrs. Wojcik said, "Teach her." Like it was a commandment. Like it was urgent. Megan said, "I'm willing." Mrs. Wojcik patted her hand and said, "Good girl." Approval from Mrs. Wojcik is like approval from the Pope, except it comes with a plate of sauerkraut pierogi and it means more.

We ate too much. We listened to the polka band. We drove home with the windows down even though it was cold, because the night was clear and the stars were out and the city smelled like autumn. Megan said, "Thank you for showing me that." I said, "There's a lot more to show you." She said, "I know." She knows. She always seems to know.

Made a pot of chili this week because fall demands chili. Mine is simple: ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin. No chocolate, no coffee, no beer, no gimmicks. Just chili. I make it in the big pot Tom gave me when I moved into the apartment, the pot that Babcia used for bigos. Some pots carry history. This one carries everything.

The week after the Polish Center dinner, I needed something that would cook slow and fill the apartment with warmth the same way that big hall had — something that asked almost nothing of me but gave everything back. That’s when I reached for Tom’s pot, the same one Babcia used for bigos, and made this slow-cooker pizza in a pot: one vessel, everything layered in, time doing the work. It’s not pierogi. It’s not bigos. But it’s mine, and it tastes like fall, and it comes out of the pot that carries everything.

Slow Cooker Pizza in a Pot

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 4 hrs | Total Time: 4 hrs 20 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 cup sliced pepperoni (about 4 oz), halved
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup sliced black olives
• 1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp fennel seed
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• Crusty bread or cooked pasta, for serving

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper until the beef is no longer pink, about 7–8 minutes. Drain off excess fat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Layer the slow cooker. Transfer the beef mixture to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, pepperoni, kidney beans, and black olives. Stir to combine.
3. Season. Sprinkle in Italian seasoning, fennel seed, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together until well mixed.
4. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours, until the sauce is thickened and the flavors have melded.
5. Add cheese. Remove the lid, scatter mozzarella evenly over the top, and replace the lid for 10–15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
6. Serve. Ladle into wide bowls and serve with crusty bread for dipping or spoon over cooked pasta.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 980mg