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Crockpot Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Bake, high protein slow cooker meals
Brittany Stage

Crockpot Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Bake

Italian turkey sausage, creamy white beans, and fire-roasted tomatoes slow cook into a thick, satisfying stew finished with wilted spinach and Parmesan. It comes together with almost no hands-on time and tastes like something that simmered all day on a restaurant stove.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 6 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian American
Calories: 390
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 lb Italian turkey sausage links casings removed
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (28 oz) fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes or less if you prefer mild
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 5 oz baby spinach fresh
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated, for serving
  • 1 tbsp olive oil for browning

Equipment

  • large skillet
  • 6-quart slow cooker
  • wooden spoon

Method
 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the sausage from its casings and add it to the pan. Break it up with a spoon and cook for 5 to 6 minutes until browned and cooked through. It does not need to be fully crumbled; some chunks are fine and add texture to the finished stew.
  2. Transfer the browned sausage to the slow cooker. Add the drained cannellini beans, the entire can of fire-roasted tomatoes with their juices, the chicken broth, minced garlic, diced onion, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together so the ingredients are evenly distributed.
  3. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours. The beans will soften and absorb the tomato broth, and the stew will thicken on its own without any added starch.
  4. About 20 minutes before you plan to serve, remove the lid and stir in all of the baby spinach. It will look like a lot, but it wilts down quickly. Replace the lid and let it cook on LOW for the remaining 20 minutes until the spinach is fully wilted and tender.
  5. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the stew into bowls and top each serving with a generous pinch of freshly grated Parmesan. Serve with thick slices of crusty bread for soaking up the broth.

Notes

Fire-roasted tomatoes are not interchangeable with plain diced tomatoes here. The smoky depth they add is what keeps this stew from tasting flat, so it is worth seeking them out. Leftovers thicken considerably overnight. Add a splash of broth when reheating to loosen the stew back to a good consistency.