Meaty Minestrone Monday

I haven't written any recipe posts yet because I'm a very experimental cook. I rarely make things the same way twice. I eyeball spice amounts. I use what I have on hand. This makes for some delicious discoveries, but not for very good blog material. But I do have one go-to crockpot recipe that I make pretty much the same way every time, and it's always delicious. I call it "meaty minestrone," and it's my favorite crockpot meal.

Ingredients:

Cooked Italian sausage. Any kind you like will do, but this is my favorite:

I like to cook it all a couple days before and use two of the links for pasta and refrigerate the rest. On the day I want to make my soup, I only have to chop up the remaining sausage and add it to the pot. 

Regular-sized box of chicken or vegetable broth

Italian style diced tomatoes

1 can of dark red kidney beans

1 can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans

Frozen vegetables of your choice. My favorite combination is usually called a "mediterranean blend" -- I like for the mix to include zuchinni, peppers, onions, carrots, and maybe some green beans.

1 can tomato sauce (not pictured)

Step one: If you're lazy or hate doing dishes, this step is absolutely crucial. Use a slow cooker liner. You'll thank me later.

Step 2: If your sausage isn't cooked already, cook it according to package directions, then chop up about 3 links and add it to the crock pot. 

Step 3: Open cans, bags, etc. and toss everything inside them in the crockpot.

Step 4: Cover, and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

I don't have any attractive "after" shots, because this is literally cooking in my crockpot right now. I love this meal because it's easy, it's relatively low in carbs (no pasta) and high in fiber and protein, it feeds me for lunch for the rest of the week in leftovers, and -- oh yeah -- it's delicious. I like it best topped with a bit of grated parmesan cheese.