Recipe Sunday: Kielbasa and Bean Stew

I absolutely love my slow cooker. Even though it gets used mostly during the winter, it’s great to bust it out every once in a while to make yummy one-pot dishes. This is somewhere between a stew and a hearty soup, so it is not heavy for summer. The original recipe comes form the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, and is great because it does not require much prep, and it is easy to make tweaks and substitutions. Next time I am planning on swapping the turkey kielbasa with some chorizo or another spicy sausage to give the dish a little kick.

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb turkey kielbasa, sliced
• 1/2 bunch kale
• 3/4 onion, sliced
• one or two handfuls matchstick carrots
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (15.5 oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15.5 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 cup farro

Preparation
Remove stalks from kale, and chop leaves. Place all ingredients except farro in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Add farro, and cook on high for another 3 hours or until the vegetables are tender.