SLOW COOKER TUSCAN WHITE BEAN STEW

SLOW COOKER TUSCAN WHITE BEAN STEW image

Number Of Ingredients 15

3 tablespoons EVOO
6 ounces pancetta
1 ear onion (chopped fine)
2 ribs celery (cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
2 ears carrots
8 cloves garlic cloves (smashed)
1 pound dried cannellini beans
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
2 ears bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces kale (stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces)
1 can diced tomatoes (14/5 ounce)
1 sprig rosemary

Steps:

Create a cartouche from parchment paper that can lay over the stew while cooking. Heat oil. Add pancetta and cook until crispy (6 - 8 minutes). Transfer pancetta to a small bowl and set aside until the end.
Add onion, celery, and carrots to fat in skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned (10 minutes). Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant (1 minute). Transfer mixture to slow cooker.
Add beans, broth, water, bay leaves, s & p to slow cooker; stir to combine. Gently press parchment on top of stew. Cover and cook for 9 hours.
Discard parchment. Stir in kale, tomatoes, and rosemary sprig. Cover and cook until kale is tender (30 to 45 minutes on high).
Discard bay leaves, rosemary. Use back of spoon to mash some beans against the side of the slow cooker to thicken stew. Stir in pancetta. Serve drizzled with EVOO.