Slow Cooker Creole Black Beans and Sausage

My brother showed me this recipe from allrecipes.com and said it was on his to-try list. I decided to put it on mine too. D said ok.

D and I made it together. He browned the meat and I chopped and dumped stuff into the crockpot. We made it the night before we turned on the slow cooker. We put the tomato sauce and chicken stock (a modification) in the pot in the morning.

So I got home and tasted... it needed salt. Added that and it simmered a few more hours. I think it was on low and warm for about 9 hours. Everything was soft. And it was nice to not have to think about dinner.

Both of us thought it needed more flavor. There was no tomato flavor what so ever. D thought flavored diced, I thought crushed. Also I but in 1/2 tsp of cayenne but probably needed 1 tsp. And next time 10 cloves of garlic. A good base that needs some tweaking.

We had over rice.

Slow Cooker Creole Black Beans and Sausage

Servings Per Recipe: 10
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 6 Hours 5 Minutes
Ready In: 6 Hours 20 Minutes

"This creole recipe is not too spicy -- it has just enough kick to please your whole family. Serve over steamed white rice."

Ingredients
2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into 1 inch slices (used andouille and smoked sausage)
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
1 cup water (we used a can of chicken broth because we knew we would be gone longer than 6 hours)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce (use a can of crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes)
4 cloves garlic, minced (needs 10 cloves)
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (didn't use because we used chicken broth)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use 1 tsp next time)
2 bay leaves
Needed 1/2-1 tsp of salt

Directions
1. Place a large skillet over medium heat, and add sausage. Cook, stirring, until sausage is browned, about 5 minutes. Drain fat, and transfer sausage to slow cooker.
2. Stir the black beans, onion, celery, green pepper, water, tomato sauce, garlic, thyme, bullion granules, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and bay leaves into the sausage in the slow cooker. Cover, and cook on Low until vegetables are tender, about 6 hours. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 380; Total Fat: 29g; Cholesterol: 62mg; Sodium: 1534mg; Total Carbs: 7.9g; Dietary Fiber: 1.6g; Protein: 21.2g