I really enjoy the change of seasons. It’s already gotten pretty chilly here in our neck of the woods and we are getting ready for winter. Living south of Buffalo and on the Lake Erie shoreline means we are in for some chilly, windy winter weather along with lake effect snow. I like to warm my family up on chilly evenings with this delicious and comforting Spicy Sausage & Black Bean Soup. It’s full of flavor and preparation is made simple by using your slow cooker!
Hot Italian Sausage slow cooks all day with tomatoes, vegetables, Ragu Chunky Roasted Garlic Sauce, black beans, baby kale, pasta and a touch of cilantro for a hearty soup your whole family will enjoy.
I love keeping Ragu sauce on hand for recipes like these. It gives this simple soup such a wonderful flavor. A great sauce starts with great ingredients. Ragu is an authentic Italian sauce with a rich taste, aroma and texture that’s made the traditional way with the same standards set by Assunta in 1937.
Ragu lets you see, smell, and savor the longstanding tradition of fresh taste. Instead of using shortcuts, Ragu follows Assunta’s secret family recipe using slow-simmering vine-ripened tomatoes, garlic, and fragrant herbs to give you a delicious sauce that never has any artificial flavors, artificial colors or high fructose corn syrup.
To start this soup, I first brown my sausage along with chopped onions, carrots and celery. My slow cooker insert can be used on the stove top, but if yours can’t- no problem. Brown your meat and soften your vegetables in a skillet and then transfer them to your slow cooker. You can then add all of the other ingredients except for the kale and uncooked pasta. Season with a little salt and pepper, stir, cover, turn on the heat and set your timer!
When there’s 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, add a few handfuls of baby kale and your uncooked pasta. Stir and then continue cooking. Your pasta will cook right in the soup!
Even though this soup has a little kick to it, my whole family, including my 4 children all enjoyed this. It wasn’t too hot. We like to top our soup with shredded Mozzarella cheese and serve this soup with fresh crusty bread for a tasty dinner. If you’re looking for a new slow cooker meal to add to your weeknight menu, give this yummy recipe a try!
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. hot Italian sausage
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, sliced
- 2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
- 2 (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed well and drained
- 1 (32 oz.) vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp - 4 Tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro (depending on how much you like cilantro)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 3 cups fresh baby kale or fresh baby spinach
- 8 oz. uncooked rotini pasta
- mozzarella cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Brown your sausage with the onions, carrots and celery until no pink remains.
- Add this mixture to your large 6 to 7 qt. slow cooker along with the crushed tomatoes, Ragu Chunky Roasted Garlic Sauce, black beans,vegetable broth, cilantro and salt and pepper.
- Stir well, cover and cook on High for 4 to 5 hours or on Low 8 to 9 hours.
- When there is 30 minutes of cooking time remaining, add the baby kale and the uncooked pasta.
- Stir well, cover and continue cooking until finished.
- Serve hot with mozzarella cheese and crusty bread.
- Serves 10 to 12.
- Enjoy!
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragu. The opinions and text are all mine.
