Slow Cooker Hearty Mixed Bean Stew with Sausage

I made this exactly as written the first time, and it was delicious. A rating of the original recipe, imagine that! The second time I made it I had about an hour before my wife got home from work (yes, I work too, lol) and I wanted dinner to be ready. To save time I used canned versions of all of the beans. You really don't lose any flavor at all doing this. Be aware though that you don't need nearly as much broth if you use canned beans. Next, I substituted the tomatoes in the recipe for 2 cans of diced fire-roasted tomatoes. The first time I made this those things were hard to find, kind of a hassle to use with the oil and trying to slice them, etc. And I never used them again. The fire-roasted tomatoes added a nice flavor and really beefed up that "stew-like" consistency. Also, the second time I left out the celery. But since pepper was the only seasoning the dish called for I found myself wanting more flavor. So I started shaking in all kinds of stuff; onion powder, garlic flakes, a dash of cumin. I even put a couple of shakes of some left-over BBQ rub in there. It was awesome. But make no mistake, the original recipe is what gets my 5 star rating. So easy and so flexible. Great for "keep it simple" cooks like me.

Oh, my....this was really delicious. It's definitely a stick-to-your-ribs kinda meal. I made cheese quesadillas to go with it. Also, I halved the recipe since there are only two of us and still had some left over. Using 1/4 cup of each type of bean, you have to keep an eye on it as I had to add more liquid to it twice. I'm sure I'll be making this during the fall and winter. A very good recipe. Thanks, Swanson!

This was very good and an excellent protein source for our family! It came together very easily! I put all the ingredients together the night before in a crock pot, put it in my fridge, and started it the next morning. Dinner was done when we came through the door! We really like the flavor Swanson's Chicken Broth brought to the stew! I've never used dried beans in a slow cooker before! I'll be doing that from now on. Both cost effective and tasted better! Thanks Swanson for a great recipe!

It was a little salty for me so I added some more garlic and potatoes to cut the aslty flavor and then I added some flour to thicken the broth into more of a gravy - then it was great!

I made several changes. I used smoked sausage without casing, pintos, and cannellini beans. I added a green pepper and yellow zuchinni. I also added cumin, coriander, and white pepper. I threw it all in for about 8 hours on low. Then used about 1.5 cups with 2 tbsp cornstarch for a slurry to thicken before re adding it back. Served with crusty bread. It was awesome!!!

I didn't have everything so used 1/3 cup each black beans, navy beans and small red beans and used a can of crushed tomatoes instead of sundried, and ground mild italian sausage. Added a chopped onion with the celery and carrots. I couldn't add all the broth because my crock was full. The beans were done at about 5 hours so I had to set the crock to warm until the family arrived. The family loved this, I'll be making this again.

We don't eat sausage so I left it out and added tomato sauce and a green bell pepper. This is a complete meal itself and super easy to make, not to mention the house smells amazing when you come home from work or school in the afternoon. I suggest serving it with a small side salad and fresh warm bread from the oven. This is a perfect fall meal!

Great Flavor. Double the beans or half the broth if you want a smaller batch . Maybe even triple the beans. As is, it is a soup. . Wanted something heartier but the taste was excellent.

Very delicious and so easy. Added some Italian Chicken sausage for a little more zip.

I may come back and revise my rating, but for now I’m giving this a 3. I followed the directions and didn’t make any changes. Mine looks nothing like the photos (it’s a very thin soup - nowhere near a stew), and the beans aren’t close to done after about 8 hours on low. These are easy problems to solve; but something didn’t go right. Smells great and my sample to test the beans tasted great as well - so I’m hopeful.

This turned out really good and was so easy! I added a little bit more of everything cause I used a full pound of the sausage. I was skeptical that the recipe didn’t call for salt but between the sausage and Parmesan there really was no need. I will definitely be making this again but I think next time I’ll add some onion cause all stews should have onion in my opinion.

Our family enjoyed this simple dish. I enjoyed that it was easy to make. I finished it with a bit of cornstarch slurry to thicken it and serve over rice to feed hungry men and it worked beautifully. We will definitely make again.

I soaked my beans overnight. Used 14 oz of Italian sausage, added onions, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms. Used stewed tomatoes because I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes. Used garlic powder, Italian seasoning and a bay leaf for more seasoning. I used about 8 cups left over turkey broth.

I made it with a ham shank and extra thick sliced ham. Absolutely delicious. I left the shank whole, and cut and added at the end. Great comfort meal. Served with corn bread. Will definitely use again.