Slow Cooker Sundays: Three Bean Chili {recipe}
This post might be more appropriately titled “HOLY COW, I COOKED!”
After months of neglect, I dusted off the crockpot and kicked off the arrival of Fall, my favorite season of all, with a hearty chili recipe. What I like most about this chili, besides how tasty it is, is that it’s equally delicious with or without meat. Over the past six months or so, I’ve drastically reduced my meat consumption, a change that was (unintentionally) spurred by a sausage making class I attended. Since then, our food focus has shifted substantially, and meat now serves as more of a side dish than the main event.
Slow Cooker Sunday: Sausage & Peppers & Apple Crisp!
Geeze. Can’t believe it is Sunday. Strike that. I can’t believe Sunday is practically over.
Waaaaaaaa!!!!!
I feel like life is moving along at crazy fast speeds and I’m just flailing my arms about trying to stay afloat. The good news is I’m taking over a week off of work for Turkey Day. So hopefully that helps to revive me!
This lovely Sunday I woke up and got straight to work destroying my kitchen.
When will I learn to clean as I go?
Never.
This week I pulled BOTH of the slow cookers out of the pantry for some slow cooked sausage and peppers and slow cooked apple crisp deliciousness!
We make sausage and peppers pretty regularly and don’t really get crazy with them. We simply throw some grilled sausages in the crockpot with a jar of tomato sauce, green peppers, onions, and some seasonings. You know, garlic garlic garlic and maybe some oregano.
Then we just let everything simmer together until we’re ready to feast. Soup was BOGO at Harris Teeter this week (HOLLA!), so I nabbed some Chipotle Chicken soup I’ve been wanting to try.
Altogether:
Since I had to pop into work for a few hours today, Jarrod was in charge of throwing everything together. Holy cow these sausage sandwiches were DELICIOUS. Absolutely delicious. I asked Jarrod what seasonings he used for the sauce… his response? “Ummm… nothing?”
Men.
Thank you Ragu, thank you. 
The soup was great as well—way to hook a sister up, Harris Teeter.
The Slow Cooker Apple Crisp was a wee bit more involved, but totally worth it. I used this Allrecipes.com recipe as my guide, with a few tweaks. I used three granny smith apples and three red apples.. I always get confused on the red apples. What are these? Galas?
First up, mix the following together in a large ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid:
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 6 apples peeled and sliced (I used 3 granny smith, 3 gala)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
And give it all a good shimmy shake.
Spray the crock with cooking spray, then toss in the apple mixture.
THEN, in a medium bowl, combine the following:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
Use a fork or your hands to combine everything until the butter is dispersed throughout. I recommend using your hands, of course. Then sprinkle over top of apples.
Ta-da!
Cook on low for four hours, remove lid half way then cook 1 hour more. And you’ll get….
A big fat gloppy mess.
This is NOT ok.
Luckily, my crockpot is oven safe (up to 400 degrees). So, I popped the crock into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Hooray for crispy topping!
The apples of the bottom of the crock disintegrated down into a delicious chunky applesauce. A spoonful of the steaming sauce, some chunks of apple and crispy topping from the top of the crock, and a dollop of slow-churned vanilla ice cream….
O…. M…G….
DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The swaps I made to the original recipe nearly cut the calories in half. Next time I’m going to reduce the sugar more to further healthify the dessert. I’m willing to do several trial runs if necessary 😉
Slow Cooker Apple Crisp
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 6 apples peeled and sliced (I used 3 granny smith, 3 gala)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
- Vanilla ice cream
Step one: mix the first five ingredients (through lemon juice) together in a large ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid. Shake the bag/bowl to coat the apples. Spray the crock with cooking spray, then toss in the apple mixture.
Step two: in a medium bowl, combine the next seven ingredients (flour through butter). Use a fork or your hands to crumble the butter into the flour mixture. Then sprinkle over top of apples.
Step three: Cook on low for four hours, remove lid half way then cook 1 hour more.
Step four: Verify your crock is oven-safe, then place uncovered crock into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes to crisp the topping. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Slow Cooker Sunday: Sausage & Peppers & Apple Crisp!
Geeze. Can’t believe it is Sunday. Strike that. I can’t believe Sunday is practically over.
Waaaaaaaa!!!!!
I feel like life is moving along at crazy fast speeds and I’m just flailing my arms about trying to stay afloat. The good news is I’m taking over a week off of work for Turkey Day. So hopefully that helps to revive me!
This lovely Sunday I woke up and got straight to work destroying my kitchen.
When will I learn to clean as I go?
Never.
This week I pulled BOTH of the slow cookers out of the pantry for some slow cooked sausage and peppers and slow cooked apple crisp deliciousness!
We make sausage and peppers pretty regularly and don’t really get crazy with them. We simply throw some grilled sausages in the crockpot with a jar of tomato sauce, green peppers, onions, and some seasonings. You know, garlic garlic garlic and maybe some oregano.
Then we just let everything simmer together until we’re ready to feast. Soup was BOGO at Harris Teeter this week (HOLLA!), so I nabbed some Chipotle Chicken soup I’ve been wanting to try.
Altogether:
Since I had to pop into work for a few hours today, Jarrod was in charge of throwing everything together. Holy cow these sausage sandwiches were DELICIOUS. Absolutely delicious. I asked Jarrod what seasonings he used for the sauce… his response? “Ummm… nothing?”
Men.
Thank you Ragu, thank you. 
The soup was great as well—way to hook a sister up, Harris Teeter.
The Slow Cooker Apple Crisp was a wee bit more involved, but totally worth it. I used this Allrecipes.com recipe as my guide, with a few tweaks. I used three granny smith apples and three red apples.. I always get confused on the red apples. What are these? Galas?
First up, mix the following together in a large ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid:
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 6 apples peeled and sliced (I used 3 granny smith, 3 gala)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
And give it all a good shimmy shake.
Spray the crock with cooking spray, then toss in the apple mixture.
THEN, in a medium bowl, combine the following:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
Use a fork or your hands to combine everything until the butter is dispersed throughout. I recommend using your hands, of course. Then sprinkle over top of apples.
Ta-da!
Cook on low for four hours, remove lid half way then cook 1 hour more. And you’ll get….
A big fat gloppy mess.
This is NOT ok.
Luckily, my crockpot is oven safe (up to 400 degrees). So, I popped the crock into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Hooray for crispy topping!
The apples of the bottom of the crock disintegrated down into a delicious chunky applesauce. A spoonful of the steaming sauce, some chunks of apple and crispy topping from the top of the crock, and a dollop of slow-churned vanilla ice cream….
O…. M…G….
DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The swaps I made to the original recipe nearly cut the calories in half. Next time I’m going to reduce the sugar more to further healthify the dessert. I’m willing to do several trial runs if necessary 😉
Slow Cooker Apple Crisp
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 6 apples peeled and sliced (I used 3 granny smith, 3 gala)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
- Vanilla ice cream
Step one: mix the first five ingredients (through lemon juice) together in a large ziploc baggie or large bowl with lid. Shake the bag/bowl to coat the apples. Spray the crock with cooking spray, then toss in the apple mixture.
Step two: in a medium bowl, combine the next seven ingredients (flour through butter). Use a fork or your hands to crumble the butter into the flour mixture. Then sprinkle over top of apples.
Step three: Cook on low for four hours, remove lid half way then cook 1 hour more.
Step four: Verify your crock is oven-safe, then place uncovered crock into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes to crisp the topping. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Slow Cooker Sundays: Cheesy Sausage & White Bean Chili
Happy Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! This football season, we have purposely and sincerely dedicated Sundays to slooooow cookin. This week my crockpot was graced to the brim with Cheesy Sausage and White Bean Chili (adapted from Sandra Lee’s Cheesy Chorizo Chili Recipe).
Isn’t it pretty???
Despite how beautiful the final product might appear, the process of slow cooking usually results in some sort of mess in the kitchen. Well, actually it’s all cooking. Me merely stepping a foot into the kitchen should serve as fair warning of impending disasters. One dish usually results in a few sauce splatters on the wall, some chopped onions on the floor, no less than 7 dirtied utensils, a burner or two accidentally left on, and every inch of counter littered with various cooking debris. So, I’m not exactly organized in the kitchen… What can I say? I like to become one with my food 
The key to any successful slow cooked meal is a few glasses of wine to pass the time. You might suggest that I use all that waiting time to clean the mess I’ve created in the kitchen. To that I say, “I cook, you clean. So quit your yapping and get to scrubbing.”
To assemble this chili, you’ll first want to brown your sausage in a skillet. Any turkey or chicken sausage will do—I prefer a spicy variety like Harris Teeter Hot Chicken Sausage or Jennie O’ Hot Turkey Sausage.
Next gather up your ingredients:
Don’t mind the Limited bag in the background… I partook in a bit of retail therapy this weekend. I scored a few sale items and am feeling MUCH better, thank you.
Toss all your canned goods, spices, and cooked sausage into the crockpot and mix to combine. Then, let the chili cook for 6 hours on low. When it’s time to chow, I like to top my chili with a dollop of Trader Joes fat free Greek yogurt, some sliced green onions, and a few corn tortilla chips:
This chili is a beautiful rust orange color, pretty darn thick, and extremely tasty. Even though this chili doesn’t have the standard tomato sauce chili base, it hit all the right notes on the seasoning scale. Jarrod and I both gave this chili two thumbs up… We had some for lunch… and then some for dinner… and between the two of us devoured the entire batch in a period of six and half hours. Don’t judge.
Total cheesy comfort in a bowl.
Cheesy Sausage & White Bean Chili Ingredients List (serves 5)
- 5 links hot chicken or turkey sausage (such as Harris Teeter brand)
- 3 15 ounce cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 10.75 ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1 can mild Rotel Tomatoes
- 1 can diced green chilis
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp burrito seasoning (McCormicks)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Chopped green onions
Stats on one serving: 366 calories, 49g carbs, 7g fat, 35g protein, 14g fiber
Slow Cooker Sundays: Cheesy Sausage & White Bean Chili
Happy Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! This football season, we have purposely and sincerely dedicated Sundays to slooooow cookin. This week my crockpot was graced to the brim with Cheesy Sausage and White Bean Chili (adapted from Sandra Lee’s Cheesy Chorizo Chili Recipe).
Isn’t it pretty???
Despite how beautiful the final product might appear, the process of slow cooking usually results in some sort of mess in the kitchen. Well, actually it’s all cooking. Me merely stepping a foot into the kitchen should serve as fair warning of impending disasters. One dish usually results in a few sauce splatters on the wall, some chopped onions on the floor, no less than 7 dirtied utensils, a burner or two accidentally left on, and every inch of counter littered with various cooking debris. So, I’m not exactly organized in the kitchen… What can I say? I like to become one with my food 
The key to any successful slow cooked meal is a few glasses of wine to pass the time. You might suggest that I use all that waiting time to clean the mess I’ve created in the kitchen. To that I say, “I cook, you clean. So quit your yapping and get to scrubbing.”
To assemble this chili, you’ll first want to brown your sausage in a skillet. Any turkey or chicken sausage will do—I prefer a spicy variety like Harris Teeter Hot Chicken Sausage or Jennie O’ Hot Turkey Sausage.
Next gather up your ingredients:
Don’t mind the Limited bag in the background… I partook in a bit of retail therapy this weekend. I scored a few sale items and am feeling MUCH better, thank you.
Toss all your canned goods, spices, and cooked sausage into the crockpot and mix to combine. Then, let the chili cook for 6 hours on low. When it’s time to chow, I like to top my chili with a dollop of Trader Joes fat free Greek yogurt, some sliced green onions, and a few corn tortilla chips:
This chili is a beautiful rust orange color, pretty darn thick, and extremely tasty. Even though this chili doesn’t have the standard tomato sauce chili base, it hit all the right notes on the seasoning scale. Jarrod and I both gave this chili two thumbs up… We had some for lunch… and then some for dinner… and between the two of us devoured the entire batch in a period of six and half hours. Don’t judge.
Total cheesy comfort in a bowl.
Cheesy Sausage & White Bean Chili Ingredients List (serves 5)
- 5 links hot chicken or turkey sausage (such as Harris Teeter brand)
- 3 15 ounce cans white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 10.75 ounce can condensed cheddar cheese soup
- 1 can mild Rotel Tomatoes
- 1 can diced green chilis
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp burrito seasoning (McCormicks)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Chopped green onions
Stats on one serving: 366 calories, 49g carbs, 7g fat, 35g protein, 14g fiber
