I’m a casserole type person. I love to have everything cooking together all in one dish, so the flavors blend together. Of course, that also makes clean up much easier and quicker. Since I’m the one doing the dishes every night, I like that part best of all! Slow cooker recipes are the perfect combo of one dish cooking & easy preparation.
Many crock pot recipes call for some part of the meal to be made separately. Either the meat needs to be browned or the starch has to be cooked as the main part of the dish finishes in the crock pot. Not with this recipe. It truly is all cooked in the crock pot. That makes the prep time short enough to put the meal together before work and school. Too bad I didn’t find this recipe long ago. It would have helped when we were all running out the door by 7am and not getting back until 7pm!
Sausage and Kale Stew With Mashed Potatoes (adapted from realsimple.com)
Serves 4-6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage links
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 large russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
- 1 small bunch kale, (about 3/4 pound, 7 cups)
- 1/2 cup milk or chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons butter
Directions
Slice open the sausage casings, remove the filling and break the meat up.
Remove the filling from the casing and break it apart.
Rinse the kale well. Cut the leaves from the ribs. Discard the stems and cut the leaves into strips.
Slice the leaves of the kale away from the rib.
Combine the sausage meat, onion, tomatoes and juice, tomato paste, garlic, 1 cup water, and ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle the whole, washed potatoes in the liquid and top with the kale.
Pile it all into the crock pot.
Cover the crock pot and cook the stew until the potatoes are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
Looks good!
Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl. Add the milk or broth, the butter and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to the bowl and mash the potatoes well.
Leaving the skin on, mash the potatoes with the milk or stock and butter.
Serve the stew topped with the mashed potatoes.
A complete meal from the crock pot!
This crock pot meal couldn’t be simpler! ~Linda
Sausage and Kale Stew With Mashed Potatoes (adapted from realsimple.com)
Serves 4-6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 8 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage links
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 large russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
- 1 small bunch kale, stems discarded & leaves chopped (about 3/4 pounds, 7 cups)
- 1/2 cup milk or chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons butter
Directions
Slice open the sausage casings, remove the filling and break the meat up. Combine the sausage meat, onion, tomatoes and juice, tomato paste, garlic, 1 cup water, and ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper in a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle the whole, washed potatoes in the liquid and top with the kale.
Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl. Add the milk or broth, butter and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the bowl and mash.
Serve the stew topped with the mashed potatoes.