A Hearty, Healthy Dish!
If you want an easy, time-saving dinner that has a lot of oomph, try this crock-pot dish on a crisp Fall or Winter day. It’s kind of a cross between chili and stew and is super flavorful!
You can prep the veggies the night before, then in the morning, add everything to the slow cooker before you leave for the day. I didn’t add hot sauce to the recipe, but I almost always add it to my finished dish. You can also add some Parmesan cheese just before serving. I tried this very recently and it was delicious!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 & 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 & 1/2 cups diagonally cut carrot
1 cup chopped, peeled turnip
1/2 cup diced celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 (4-oz.) links fully cooked hot Italian sausage (you can use chicken or turkey sausage for a healthier dish)
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
3/4 cup chicken broth/stock
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
Directions
- Saute vegetables together in olive oil until tender – about 5+ minutes.
- Place veggie mixture in a 5-quart crock pot. Add beans, sausage, tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until veggies are tender.
I found a lighter version of this recipe in Cooking Light (magazine). You can use low sodium everything and substitute the Italian Sausage with sweet Italian sausage links.