Slow Cooker Stew with Sausage, Beans, and Kale

Slow Cooker Stew with Sausage, Beans, and Kale is a tasty slow cooker dinner that’s loaded with Italian flavors!

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This Slow Cooker Stew with Sausage, Beans, and Kale has some of my favorite flavors, and I love adding the kale near the end of the cooking time so it’s still a little chewy in the stew. I used my favorite Turkey Italian Sausage for this recipe, but use pork sausage if you prefer.

My friend Lydia and I have both become infatuated with experiments in our slow cookers, and the experimental part in this slow cooker stew was adding the kale to the slow cooker after the other ingredients had cooked for a few hours. I was really thrilled with how the raw kale softened perfectly in the slow cooker with just a little more cooking time, and the slightly chewy kale was one of my favorite parts of this dish!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

• hot turkey or pork Italian sausage
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• canned petite dice tomatoes
• canned Cannellini beans
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• Dried Basil (affiliate link)
• Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
• ground fennel (affiliate link)
• canned chicken broth (affiliate link) or stock
• kale

What beans can you use for slow cooker bean stew?

I loved the Cannellini Beans (white kidney beans) I use for this bean stew, but if you don’t find those at your store any type of dried white bean such a Great Northern Beans will be fine.

What size slow cooker did I use?

I used my Crock-Pot 5-Quart Smart-Pot Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe, but a slightly smaller slow cooker will work.

How can you make this slow cooker stew lower in carbs?

You can simply use less beans and more sausage to make a tasty lower-carb version of this recipe.

How to Make Slow Cooker Stew with Sausage, Beans, and Kale:

(Scroll down for complete recipe including nutritional information.)

1. Brown the sausages well in a little olive oil  (Don’t skip this step!)
2. While the sausage browns, dump the Cannellini beans into a colander placed in the sink, rinse, and let them drain.
3. When the sausage is well-browned slice it into pieces about an inch thick.
4. Add the beans, sausage slices, tomatoes, spices, and canned chicken broth (affiliate link) to the slow cooker and let it cook for about 2 1/2 hours on high (or 5 hours on low.)
5. Wash and chop the kale to make 4 cups of chopped kale.
6. Add the kale to the slow cooker and let it cook 45 minutes longer on high (or twice as long on low.) 
7. I forgot to take a photo when the kale was done, but it was tender but still slightly chewy after 45 minutes.  If you’d like softer kale, let it go a bit longer.
8. Serve hot with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

More Slow Cooker Stew Recipes with Beans:

• Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
• CrockPot Sausage, Beans, and Greens
• Slow Cooker Sausage and White Bean Stew
• Sausage and Chickpea Stew

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Slow Cooker Stew with Sausage, Beans, and Kale

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours 45 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 25 minutes

Slow Cooker Stew with Sausage, Beans, and Kale has Cannellini beans, tomatoes, Italian sausage, and kale, and this is a tasty slow cooker stew that's great for a family dinner!

Ingredients

• one 19.5 oz. package hot turkey Italian sausage (see notes)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• two 14.5 oz. cans petite dice tomatoes, not drained
• two 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained (see notes)
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. ground fennel (or more)
• 1 1/4 cup chicken broth or stock (see notes)
• 4 cups chopped kale leaves

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan, add sausages, and cook turning often, for 10 minutes or until sausage is nicely browned on all sides.
2. Remove sausage to a cutting board to let it cool.
3. While sausage cooks, dump the two cans of cannellini beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water (until no more foam appears.)  Let beans drain well.
4. As soon as the sausage is cool enough to handle, slice it into round pieces about 1 inch thick.
5. Put sliced sausage, drained beans, tomatoes with juice, garlic, dried basil, dried oregano, ground fennel, and chicken stock into the slow cooker and stir gently.
6. Let cook for about 2 1/2 hours on high or 5 hours on low.
7. While the stew is cooking, chop the kale, cutting away and discarding any thick inner ribs.  (Wash kale in a salad spinner if you’re using garden kale.)
8. After 2 1/2 hours on high (or 5 hours on low), add the kale and stir gently into the stew.
9. Continue cooking stew about 45 minutes more on high (or 1 1/2 hours on low).
10. Serve hot, with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top if desired.

Notes

To make a lower-carb version of this recipe use one can of beans and more sausage.

Use pork Italian sausage if you prefer. You can use a full can of chicken broth, which is going to be slightly more liquid; reduce the broth if you want to keep it a thicker stew.

I used my Crock-Pot 5-Quart Smart-Pot Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe, but a slightly smaller slow cooker will work. This freezes well and can be reheated in the microwave or in a pan on the stove.

Recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 336Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 559mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 8gSugar: 2gProtein: 30g

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.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
With lower-fat turkey Italian sausage and a moderate amount of Parmesan cheese, this Slow Cooker Stew with Sausage, Beans, and Kale would be approved for all phases of the original South Beach Diet. Even though dried beans are a low-glycemic ingredient, remember they’re limited to 1/3 to 1/2 cup for phase one of South Beach, so adjust portion sizes accordingly.

Beans would be too high in carbs for a traditional low-carb diet plan but you can make a tasty lower-carb version of this by using more sausage and less beans, and use pork sausage if you prefer!

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest or on Facebook to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

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