Slow Cooker Autumn Sausage & Rice

If you have kids and you have to actually feed them, you know it isnt always easy. Sometimes I pick recipes thinking they will both love it. Then they hate it. I can never tell which might like what anymore and while they arent the worlds pickiest eaters, it drives me nuts when they turn their nose up at something I was just they would ask for again and again.

This was such a recipe. I was sure my little one would love it, and she did not. But I might try again, it has all her favorite things so I cant imagine what went wrong?

This is a great slow cooker meal and the flavors are really delicious

Slow Cooker Autumn Sausage & Rice

adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking

Ingredients

-1 pound sausage (I used chicken roasted garlic pre-cooked)

--1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)

--1 yellow onion, chopped

--1 tbsp. butter

--1/2 cup chopped carrots

--3 cups already cooked long-grain rice (I used white )

--1/2 cup crasins (could use raisins also)

--1 T dried parsley flakes

--1 T brown sugar

--1/2 tsp allspice

--1/2 tsp cinnamon

--1/4 tsp black pepper

--1/3 cup chicken broth or water (I used broth)

The Directions.

The amount of ingredients fit nicely in a 4 quart crockpot. I'd say this comfortably feeds a family of 4-5 with a bit of leftovers. If you have a large family or teenagers, add more rice and sausage. It's a pretty easy recipe to adapt to your needs.

Add butter to a saute pan on med. heat. Add the onions and saute until light brown color. Add chopped sausage to the onions and cook until the sausage pieces get nicely browned. Add mixture to the crockpot. You can omit this step, and will achieve fine results, but I like my sausage cooked this way and I think it makes the flavor better.

**If you are using uncooked pork sausage you can remove onions to the crockpot and brown the sausage completely before adding them to the crockpot**

Dump the rest of the ingredients into the crock, and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4. You're really only heating through, and allowing the vegetables to soften.

This will not stick together like a gloppy casserole; it has the consistency of fried rice. Use bowls to serve rather than plates.