Crockpot Recipe For Sausage Peppers And Cannellini Bean Stew With Parmesan

CROCKPOT SAUSAGE, PEPPERS, AND CANNELLINI BEAN STEW WITH PARMESA

Steps:

• Use a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker for this recipe.
• Chop onions, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper into pieces about 1/2 inch square. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, then saute onions and peppers until they begin to soften, then add to slow cooker.
• Squeeze Italian sausage out of casings and add to frying pan, adding a bit more olive oil if needed. Brown sausage well, breaking apart with turner as it cooks, then add to slow cooker.
• Pour beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears, then add to slow cooker. Add tomatoes with juice, dried basil, dried oregano, ground fennel, black pepper and bay leaves to slow cooker. Pour chicken stock over other ingredients and stir to combine.
• Cook on high about 4 hours or on low for all day. Serve hot, with freshly grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on the stew.
• (*) South Beach Suggestions:.
• Make with turkey Italian Sausage, this stew is perfect for any phase of the South Beach Diet, which allows low-glycemic dried beans in small amounts, even for phase one. Since this recipe has a generous amount of vegetables and sausage in proportion to the beans, it would be great for phase one.

SLOW COOKER SAUSAGE, BEAN AND PASTA STEW

Steps:

• Spread the onions over the bottom of a 6- to 7-quart slow cooker and top with the carrots, garlic, white beans, thyme bundle and sausage links. Mix the diced tomatoes with the broth and 3 cups water and pour over the sausages. Add the Parmesan rind if using.
• Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours; the beans will be tender and begin to fall apart. Uncover the slow cooker, remove and discard the thyme bundle and Parmesan rind and transfer the sausage links to a cutting board. Stir the pasta into the stew and continue to cook, covered, until the pasta is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Cut the sausages into bite-size pieces and stir into the stew along with the parsley and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with grated Parmesan on the side for sprinkling on top and crusty bread for soaking up the broth.
• Cook's Note: This stew is also a great way to use up leftover cooked pasta. Simply omit the ditalini, reduce the water by 1 cup and stir 1 cup of cooked pasta (cut up if long noodles) into the finished stew along with the sausage pieces.