Crock Pot Classics: Italian Sausage & Rice

Last Week I shared with you my loving relationship with my Crock- Pot. Even though it is sadly past its prime (hint- hint, Tommy), I use it regularly and will continue to do so until it meets its ultimate demise. Which will probably be soon. Seriously, its like 15 years old.

Oh, and I also shared the awesome-sauce that is my Mexican Chili Chicken recipe.

Anyway, here is another one of our favorite recipes. Last week we went Mexican, this week we go Italian. This one is an especially huge hit with my husband so I make a little extra so he can have some left overs for lunch the next day. I like this one too because it doesn't take as long to cook on those days that I forget until noon to start dinner. So, its a double dinner win. Can't beat that. 

The only downside to this dish is having to brown the sausage before you put it in the pot. It uses an extra pan. Still, its so good you won't mind.

Mmmmm...

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 pound Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces (You can use mild or hot depending on your tastes)
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce (I freeze homemade spaghetti sauce in a muffin tin so all I have to do is thaw it. I'll share that recipe soon.)
• 1 bell pepper, cut into strips. Use green or an assortment. (Or a handful of frozen bell pepper strips. No need to thaw.)
• 1 small onion, halved and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Hot cooked rice

Okay, now that you have everything together, you are going to have to put the sausage pieces into a pan with a little oil of your choice and brown them. Don't over do them, just brown all over is good. Then drain off the drippings. (You might want to put this in with your sauce, and thats just fine.)

After that, put the peppers and onions in your pot followed by the sausage, pinto beans, and sauce. In that order. Season with the salt and pepper and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Most of the time, the temperature doesn't really matter when you are cooking with a Crock- Pot but here it really kind of does. Just trust me when I say that this tastes a lot better when it is cooked low and slow. If you are in a particular rush, you can cook it on high for 2-3 hours and get mostly the same thing. Its just not as flavorful. Trust me.

Now, when its done, make yourself some rice (I used white because it was what I had but it tastes better with brown). You can choose to just mix the rice in the pot with everything else, or top the rice with the sausage-y goodness. Either way, I hope you enjoy it. I know we do!

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