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Pull out the slow cooker to make Sausage and Chickpea Stew, and this tasty stew is flavored with tomatoes and pesto! See tips for making this recipe lower in carbs.
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I realize some of you aren’t all that enthused about ultra-nutritious garbanzo beans, also called chickpeas. But if you’re one of those people who’s not especially a chickpea fan, I hope you’ll trust me when I promise that this Sausage and Chickpea Stew is truly delicious. Hanging out in the slow cooker with the spicy turkey Italian sausage and tomatoes makes the chickpeas creamy and full of flavor. And the seasonings in this recipe are perfect, with the addition of a small amount of the pesto at the end as a flavor-boosting way to finish the dish.
You can also use Cannellini beans or another type of white bean in this tasty slow cooker stew, or see tips below for making a version with fewer carbs. Once you take a bite you’ll be glad you tried it, I promise!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- turkey or pork Italian Sausage (hot or mild, but I used hot)
- onion
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- ground fennel (affiliate link) (probably optional, but this adds amazing flavor)
- Italian Herb Seasoning (affiliate link)
- canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- can of diced tomatoes
- can of crushed tomatoes
- water
- basil pesto (homemade or purchased)
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
What if you’re not a fan of Chickpeas?
If you’re not a Chickpea fan, just use Cannellini Beans or another type of white beans in this tasty sausage stew.
How can you make this Sausage and Chickpea Stew lower in carbs?
If you want a version of this recipe that will be a lot lower in carb, double the amount of sausage and only use one can of chickpeas.
How to make Sausage and Chickpea Stew:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- For this recipe I’d use my favorite turkey Italian sausage that comes raw in a casing. Squeeze the sausage out of the casing and brown it well in a small amount of olive oil. (Yes, it is important to brown the sausage before you put it in the slow cooker. Don’t rush this step.) Be sure to choose a gluten-free sausage if needed.
- Then push the sausage over and saute the onions a few minutes, adding the garlic and herbs for the last minute before you throw it all in the slow cooker.
- Drain the chickpeas in a colander placed in the sink, and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears.
- Put beans in the slow cooker with the browned sausage, onions, and spices.
- I added one can of diced tomatoes and one can of crushed tomatoes for this, but 2 cans of either one will work too.
- I cooked this in my Ninja Cooker (affiliate link) which is six quarts, but as you can see a smaller slow cooker will also work.
- I cooked this for about 3 1/2 on high in the Ninja, but it might take a little longer in a regular slow cooker. (You could also cook it about 8-9 hours on low.)
- I used some of my frozen pesto, which I thawed just enough to chop it up.
- Stir in the pesto and cook about 20 minutes longer.
- And I was surprised that the green pesto didn’t show up at all in the finished dish, but it added amazing flavor
- Serve this hot, with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.
More Tasty Ideas with Sausage:
Sausage and Meatballs Index ~ Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker
Beef Chili with Sausage, Mushrooms, and Olives
Instant Pot Sausage and Kale Soup
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 1 T olive oil
- 19.5 oz. package turkey Italian Sausage links (hot or mild, but I used hot)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 T minced garlic
- 1 tsp. ground fennel (probably optional, but this adds amazing flavor)
- 2 tsp. Italian Herb Blend
- 2 15 oz. cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed well and drained
- one 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- one 14.5 oz. can crushed tomatoes (see notes)
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup basil pesto (homemade or purchased)
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, squeeze the sausage out of the casings (discard casings), and cook the sausage over medium-high heat until it’s nicely browned, breaking it apart with a turner as it cooks. Don’t rush this step; it will take about 10 minutes to get the sausage browned.
- When the sausage is nicely browned, push it to one side of the pan, add onions, and cook until they’re starting to soften, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic, ground fennel, and Italian Herb Blend and cook 1 minute more. Transfer sausage/onion mixture to the slow cooker.
- Drain garbanzo beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water until no more foam appears. Let beans drain and then add to slow cooker with the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and water.
- Cook for about 4 hours on high, checking after 3 hours. (You can also cook for 8-9 hours on low.)
- When the beans are quite soft and the flavors are well-combined, add the pesto and cook about 20 minutes more.
- Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper and serve hot, with Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.
Notes
Use all diced or all crushed tomatoes if that’s what you have on hand.
I used my six-quart Ninja Slow Cooker (affiliate link) for this recipe, but any 4-5 quart slow cooker will also work.
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 447Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 786mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 11gSugar: 10gProtein: 30g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Chickpeas, turkey Italian Sausage, and tomatoes are all great low-glycemic foods for the original South Beach Diet, but dried beans are a limited food for phase one. For Phase One I’d have a small serving of this with a big green salad on the side. This is too high in carbs for a low-carb diet plan, but you can make a lower-carb version by doubling the sausage and only using one can of chickpeas.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there. You can find more Slow Cooker / Instant Pot Recipes on my other site!
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information in 2021.
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