Sausage-and-Bean Stew

By GadgetGirl

This dish is so easy: Just brown your favorite smoked sausage, toss the ingredients together, and let the slow cooker do the rest. All you need to round out the meal is a simple green salad and loaf of crusty bread

Ingredients

• 1 pound smoked sausage
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (48-oz.) container reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups dried great Northern beans
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 3/4 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 10 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• Garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 35mins
Cooking time 475mins
Adapted from Southernliving.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Cut sausage into 2-inch pieces, and halve sausage pieces lengthwise, cutting to but not through other side. Cook half of sausage in 1 Tbsp. hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer sausage and drippings to a 7-qt. slow cooker. Repeat with remaining sausage and oil.

2. Add 1 cup broth to skillet, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of skillet. Boil 1 minute or until reduced by half. Stir beans, next 8 ingredients, boiled broth mixture, 3 cups water, and remaining broth into slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 7 hours or until beans are tender. Discard cheese rind.

3. Stir mixture with rosemary sprig 30 seconds to 1 minute; discard rosemary. Remove 1 cup beans, and process in a blender 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Stir pureed bean mixture into slow cooker. (Repeat procedure with 1 more cup beans, if a thicker consistency is desired.) Serve immediately.