Sausage Pasta Stew

We are in the midst of a cookbook upheaval. I'm trying to cut in half my collection of more than 400 cookbooks and booklets, while we continue to get some new ones. Mom's latest is Taste of Home's Contest Winning Recipes 2007. This was a slow cooker recipe that seemed weird, but turned out tasty! It makes a LOT (filled the crock pot). Use any sausage that you want. I used Jimmy Deans Bulk Original Recipe sausage, but otherwise I would consider something like the Hot Italian sausage sold in bulk at your grocery store. Oh, and the red bell pepper really works in this stuff better than the green. My changes. I had no summer squash so added some leftover tomatoes from a salad. I also used canned peas. If you need this meal in a shorter time and even without a slow cooker, parboil the carrots, then put everything together as instructed. I just used wavy pasta rather than spiral. It's what I had in the cupboard.

Sausage Pasta Stew

(Sarah Bowen, Upland, CA)

1 pound turkey Italian sausage links, casings removed
4 cups water
1 jar (26 oz). meatless spaghetti sauce
1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 medium sweet red or green pepper, diced
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups uncooked spiral pasta
1 cup frozen peas
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1. In a nonstick skillet, cook sausage links over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and place in a 5 qt. slow cooker. Add water, spaghetti sauce, kidney beans, summer squash, carrots, red pepper and onion. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until vegetables are tender.
2. Stir in the pasta, peas, sugar, salt and pepper; mix well. Cover and cook on high for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender. Yield 8 servings.


1 1/3 cup = 276 calories, 38 g carb, 6 g fiber, 18g protein.