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.
I have an original crock pot- what is listed here would not fit. I used a 1lb bag of beans, which is only 2C, and could only get 2C of water, not 3 in the pot. 1st time I made it I just threw in the Parmesan rind, which dissolved into unappetizing mushy chunks. Next time I made it I wrapped the rind in cheese cloth which I could then pull out at the end, We thought it was delicious.
Liked convenience of cooking in crock pot but too salty and too much garlic for my taste. I thickened the stew as recommended but also added a mashed potato to absorb some of the salt and cooked a couple servings in a pot to reduce and thicken the broth.
