Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Stew
Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Stew is a tasty stew that starts with dried beans cooked all day in the slow cooker! If you want a lower-carb version of this stew, use fewer beans and more sausage and spinach.
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After I kind of fell in love with turkey Kielbasa, I decided to try making a bean and sausage stew with this tasty ingredient. And this Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Stew could become a recipe template for many more dishes in the future, since the recipe starts with dried beans that are cooked with broth, onions, tomatoes, and spices for 8-10 hours in the slow cooker until the beans are creamy and soft.
I’d always heard that tomatoes will cause beans not to soften, but apparently a long cooking time will overcome that, because the beans in this dish were amazing. I added the sausage at the very beginning with the beans, but next time if I was home I’d probably add that halfway through the cooking time so the sausage was a little firmer. Then stir in some chopped spinach at the end and you have a delicious dinner.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- dried small white beans
- onion
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- ground rosemary (affiliate link), or dried rosemary, crushed
- Dried Thyme (affiliate link), crushed
- canned chicken broth (affiliate link)
- can of petite dice tomatoes
- pre-cooked sausage, cut into half-moon slices (see notes)
- fresh spinach
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
What size Slow Cooker did I use?
I would use about a 4 Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe. The stew freezes well so if you only have a bigger size you might want to double the recipe.
How to Make Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Stew:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- I used turkey Kielbasa, but use any pre-cooked sausage you prefer.
- Cut the sausage in half lengthwise and then slice into half-moon slices. (I might add this after the beans have cooked for a while if I was going to be home.)
- Chop onions, mince garlic, and crush the rosemary and thyme in a mortar and pestle if you have one.
- Put the dried beans, chicken stock, tomatoes, and spices in the slow cooker. If you’re not going to be home, go ahead and add the sausage at this time. If you will be home, I would add the sausage about halfway through the cooking time.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are creamy and as soft as desired (I like them quite well done.)
- When the beans are done, measure 4 cups of spinach leaves, packed into the measuring cup.
- Coarsely chop the spinach leaves. Add chopped spinach to the stew, turn the slow cooker to high, and cook about 30 minutes more.
- Serve hot, with Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over the stew if desired.
More Tasty Recipes with Dried White Beans:
- White Bean Soup with Ham and Rosemary
- White Bean Soup with Italian Sausage, Zucchini, and Basil
- Tuna and White Bean Salad
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Stew
Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Stew is a tasty stew that uses dried beans that cook all day in the slow cooker!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried small white beans (see notes)
- 1 onion, chopped into fairly small pieces
- 1 T finely minced garlic
- 1 tsp. ground rosemary or dried rosemary, crushed
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
- 6 cups chicken broth
- one 14.5 oz. can petite dice tomatoes
- 14 oz. pre-cooked sausage, cut into half-moon slices (see notes)
- 4 packed cups fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Pick over the beans, removing any broken ones, and add beans to the slow cooker.
- Chop onion, mince the garlic, and crush the spices with a mortar and pestle (or meat mallet) and add to the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken stock and diced tomatoes to the slow cooker and start to cook on low.
- Cut the sausage in half lengthwise, and then slice it into half-moon slices.
- If you’re going to be cooking this while you’re not home, add the sausage now and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until the beans are nicely softened.
- If you will be home, I would cook the other ingredients about 5 hours and then add the sausage. It will work either way, but the sausage will be softer if you add it for the entire cooking time.
- When beans are done to your liking, chop the spinach, turn the slow cooker to high, and cook about 30 minutes more.
- Serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese for sprinkling on the stew if desired.
Notes
One pound of beans is about 2 cups. Homemade chicken stock would be great in this but chicken broth from a can or a carton will also be fine. I used turkey Kielbasa sausage for this recipe.
I used a Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe.
This recipe was adapted from Real Simple Magazine.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 343Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 1507mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 6gSugar: 3gProtein: 18g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions
Dried beans are a good choice for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, and using low-fat turkey Kielbasa keeps this South Beach Diet friendly. If you want a stew with less carbs, use more sausage and spinach and half as many beans, but this recipe as written is probably too high in carbs for a traditional low-carb eating plan.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stew Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. Click here for more Slow Cooker / Instant Pot Recipes on my other site!
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2012. It was last updated with more information in 2021.
72 Comments on “Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Stew”
I always save the rinds from parmagiano reggiano cheese in the the freezer. To me this recipe would be great with a rind or two! A little extra umami can never be a bad thing! Any suggestions as to when I should drop them in? From the start or maybe further along in the cooking process?
I agree that would make a great addition to the soup. I’d probably put them in from the start.
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Hi Kalyn,
I’ve been making this recipe since 2013 (when I first printed it and added to my recipe binder). I would like to add more seasoning to it. My husband likes things well seasoned and this does not have enough flavor for him. I end up eating the whole batch myself! Which is ok, but would like him to be able to eat as well. Any suggestions on how to add more flavor?
I also use 1.5 cups of dry beans instead of 2. And 2 cans of tomatoes instead of 1. Thanks!
Hi Julie. Glad you are enjoying it. You could of course add more garlic and dried thyme. A commenter above added hot chili flakes, which I think sounds great. I’d love some Green Tabasco Sauce in this. Other seasonings that might be good are ground fennel, dried oregano, or a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end. I wouldn’t try them all at once, but maybe some of thing things will make it appeal more to your husband!
This is delicious! I did not soak (not necessary with slow cooker for white beans or pintos), and the beans were tender,(but not mushy) in 6 hours on high. I had every thing on hand, except chicken broth (which I nearly always have homemade in the freezer), but vegetable broth came to the rescue. This is not the first time I have thought veggie broth was superior to chicken. The soup was off-the-charts good in the flavor department. I did not bother to chop the garlic, just smashed it with the back of a knife, and also threw in some red pepper flakes (just a little, probably a scant 1/2 teaspoon). I give this recipe 5 stars and will make again!
I definitely like the idea of adding some hot pepper flakes! So glad you enjoyed it!
What is the yield on this? I need to bring 6 quarts to a soup swap.
I don’t know exactly how much it makes, but by adding up the ingredients I’d guess it’s not more than about 3 quarts.
I made this for a second time and it turned out with a very bitter taste. Any idea what could have caused it?
Sorry, but I can’t imagine what would have caused that if you used these ingredients.
i used a kolbasa beef sausage instead of the kielbasa turkey sausage and i think this is what made my soup a bit bitter as well. Did you
use a different sausage?
I wish I could help, but I none of the ingredients here are things that seem to me like they might be bitter, not even the sausage. Spinach is slightly bitter, but not overly so to most people.
Definitely going to the archives…I made this initally for myself as a South Beach Diet option but the family devoured the whole pot 😋
Glad to hear it was a hit!
This was easy and delicious! I will definitely make it again.
So glad you enjoyed it!
In the crock pot as we speak! Cant wait to try when i get home from work!
Hope you enjoy!
Do I need to drain the tomatoes before adding to the crockpot or does the tomato juice go in it too?
The tomatoes don't have to be drained, but you can drain them if you prefer a thicker soup.
I've been intending to make this for ages. I love soup and I love beans. The problem is, I live in Phoenix and with the heat here, hot soup isn't always something the family wants. I finally made this today (it's only 84 this early Nov. afternoon) and have been pretesting. I only had mixed beans from Sprouts on hand- the combination includes small red, white, black, pinto and split peas. I am planning on a bit less spinach because I know my family. Also, cooked on stovetop. Tastes good!
Lindi, glad you like it!
Ok. Thank you Kalyn. Kind of what I was hoping to hear.
I'd certainly taste it to see how the sausage tastes. Usually for me it's more of a texture issue; when it cooks the whole time it loses texture. If you don't like it when you taste it, I'd cook new sausage and then just cook in the slow cooker long enough to warm it through with the beans.
I made this and put in the kielbasa sausage for the full 8hr cook time. The sausage turned out kind of brown… did I ruin the dish? I have not tasted it yet… If the kielbasa is over done and tastes bad can i cook up some more kielbasa and add to the beans etc..?
Heather I really couldn't say how long this would take on the stove without trying it; white beans are really variable in cooking time due to how old the beans are.
How long would you cook this on the stove? Thanks!
Shibagurl, I think adding paprika is a brilliant idea! So glad you enjoyed it.
Wow! Made this tonight and it was AMAZING!! I added Hungarian hot paprika and it gave a nice kick. 😉 The beans came out perfect and are delicious 🙂 definitely a keeper!!
I have made this soup now 3 times since finding it two months ago. My husband requests it every week and now people at his work are requesting it when they visit for dinner!!! Such a hit, my 3 year old LOVES it too!!! Thank you!