Chicken Sausage and Vegetable Stew

Chicken is a staple in our homes, and that goes for stew, too. Using chicken sausage is a convenient way to add some extra flavor to this veggie-heavy stew. 

Chicken Sausage and Vegetable Stew

Persons

8

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
• 2 tsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon (such as Knorr®)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper, more to taste
• 1 lb. round, white potatoes, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled quartered lengthwise and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, halved lengthwise and chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 (9 oz.) package frozen cut green beans, thawed
• 1 (12 oz.) package pre-cooked Italian chicken sausage (such as Al Fresco®), quartered lengthwise and chopped
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• freshly ground black pepper, (optional)
• extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Sprinkle the tapioca into the slow cooker crock. Add the bouillon, olive oil, garlic, oregano, bay leaf, kosher salt, and red pepper to the crock.
2. Layer the remaining ingredients (except for the parsley) into the crock, starting with the potatoes and ending with the water. Do not stir.
3. Cover and cook 8 hours on LOW (or 4 hours on HIGH).
4. Before serving, stir the parsley into the soup. Garnish each bowl with some freshly ground pepper and a small drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, if desired.

Dairy Free Variation
Be sure to use dairy-free sausage, such as al fresco