From DN Recipes by David Nagy · Food & Beverage

Slow Cooker Sausage Cassoulet

Published

Slow Cooker Sausage Cassoulet
Active Time 20 Mins  Total Time 8 Hours 20 Mins
Yield Serves 6 (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups)
A bit of sausage adds a zesty kick to this hearty bowl of beans and root veggies; it’s a fresh take on slow-cooked comfort. If you can’t find pre-cooked sausage, buy it raw and sautée in step 1 with the veggies before loading and setting the slow cooker for the day. Serve this warm, cozy dish with a dark leafy green salad and a knob of crusty whole-grain bread—the perfect weeknight meal to fill you up without the guilt between all those holiday parties.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 cups (3/4-in.-thick) diagonally cut carrot
1 cup chopped peeled turnip
1/2 cup diced celery
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 (15-oz.) cans unsalted cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 (4-oz.) links fully cooked sweet Italian chicken sausage, chopped
1 (28-oz.) can unsalted diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup unsalted chicken stock
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup whole-grain breadcrumbs
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

How to Make It
Step 1
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, turnip, celery, and garlic; cook 5 minutes or until just tender.
Step 2
Place vegetable mixture in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add cannellini beans, sausage, tomatoes, chicken stock, thyme, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours or until vegetables are tender.
Step 3
Melt butter in a small skillet over medium. Add breadcrumbs; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat; stir in cheese. Stir half of breadcrumb mixture into cassoulet in slow cooker; sprinkle remaining breadcrumb mixture and parsley evenly over each serving.