Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole

Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole is an easy comforting dinner that can be made sweet or spicy. It's packed with delicious Italian sausage, vegetables and tasty seasonings.

Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole is a one pot meal that makes a hearty dinner any time of the year. It's a great family meal or holiday recipe. This crock pot sausage stew is flavored with tomatoes, herbs and spices, and plenty of aromatics like garlic and onions.

It's packed with sweet or spicy Italian sausage and nutritious vegetables like carrots and bell peppers. It's naturally dairy-free and one big serving has only about 400 calories.

This comfort food classic is a crock pot favorite- it's easy and has a quick cooking time on high or can be cooked low and longer depending on the time you have. Along with crock pot pepper steak and one pot slow cooker meatloaf and vegetables, this recipe is perfect for busy weeknights and lazy weekends alike.

Ingredients

• Italian sausage links: any variety of chicken or pork Italian sausage in mild or hot works well. Ground sausage is also a good choice if preferred.
• Uncooked short pasta: such as shells, bow ties, ziti, penne, etc.
• Vegetables: carrots, colorful bell pepper and chopped tomatoes.
• Spices: parsley, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, bay leaf, salt and ground black pepper.
• Sweet onion: yellow onion and red onion also work well.
• Garlic cloves
• Tomato puree
• Chicken broth: or water and bouillon cubes.

Instructions

STEP 1: Slice the Italian sausage into ½ inch round pieces. In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat over medium-high. Add the Italian sausage pieces, parsley, thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, or until sausage begins to brown lightly. Turn off the heat and add ¼ cup of cool water. Deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom to release all brown bits and seasonings.

STEP 2: Add the browned sausage to the slow cooker, including the seasonings and all brown bits scraped from the bottom of the pan. Add carrots, bell pepper, onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, tomato puree, water, chicken bouillon cubes and bay leaf. Add a pinch of sugar to correct acidity. Stir well.

STEP 3: Set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. In the last 30 minutes, add the uncooked pasta.

STEP 4: Discard the bay leaf. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Recipe Tips

Tip 1 - Sausage: any variation of Italian sausage works well in this recipe, including both hot and sweet and chicken and pork types. A combination of sweet Italian pork sausage and spicy Italian chicken sausage is my favorite. Ground Italian sausage also works well.

Tip 2 - Pasta: short pasta types such as shells, farfalle, rigatoni, penne, and ziti are ideal for casseroles. This stew can be served over white or brown rice, quinoa, or couscous instead of adding the pasta to it. For a lower carb option, cauliflower rice is a good choice.

Tip 3 - Serving: sausage stew makes a great one pot dinner. It pairs well with classic salads and no fuss side dishes, like baby potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans and parmesan asparagus.

Recipe