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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Slow Cooker White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini

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Whenever I get a new issue of Cooking Light, I pore over it and pick out at least a half dozen recipes that I want to make. However, I love that I can also access old recipes online from the days long before I was reading Cooking Light. This recipe was a find from the online Cooking Light archives, all the way back to 2005, when all I knew about food and cooking was that I showed up in the university dining hall a few times a day to be fed!
I was looking for a recipe that used chicken sausage and came across this ragout (aka stew). It turns out Cooking Light was using kale way before it was trendy! This tastes healthy, and IS healthy, making it a good recipe as we move past the holidays and try to get back to balanced eating. That being said, make sure you add a hefty amount of fresh parmesan to each bowl--it added a necessary burst of flavor!

One Year Ago: Slow Cooker Chicken and Barley Stew
Two Years Ago: Chicken Sausage and Apple Strata
Three Years Ago: Gingerbread Pancakes

Slow Cooker White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini
adapted from Cooking Light January 2005

Ingredients:
-1 onion, chopped
-4 links chicken sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
-2 zucchini, quartered and cut into 1/2-inchs lices
-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
-6 cups chopped, trimmed kale
-1/2 cup water
-2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
-2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
-freshly grated parmesan, for serving

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and stir to mix combine.
2. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, until warmed through. Serve with shredded parmesan.