Slow Cooker White Bean Spinach and Sausage Stew

 This recipe calls for apple and feta sausage but I think it can be made with just about any kind of sausage.  We have lots of choices in our area for really delicious Italian sausage...traditional and sausage made with turkey or chicken.  I also think this can be made with canned cannelini beans to shave 13-14 hours off of preparation time.

2 C. dried cannelini beans

5 C. unsalted chicken broth

1 plum tomato, stem end trimmed

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tap. black pepper

4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

2 fresh rosemary sprigs

6oz. spinach and feta chicken and turkey sausage, cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices

5oz baby spinach, roughly chopped

1/4 C. chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Sort and wash the beans; place in a large Dutch oven.  Cover with water to 2in above the beans, cover and let stand for 8 hours.  Drain the beans.  Place the beans in a slow cooker.  Add the stock, tomato, salt, pepper, garlic, and rosemary sprigs.  Cover and cook on low until the beans are tender, about 7 hours.

Lightly mas the bean mixture with a potato masher, breaking up the tomato and garlic.  Add the sausage to the slow cooker; cover and cook on low until thoroughly heated 20-30 minutes.  Add the spinach and parsley, stirring just until the spinach begins to wilt.  Discard the rosemary sprigs.  Ladle the stew into bowls; ; drizzle evenly with the oil before serving.