Best Slow Cooker Sausage And Apples Recipes

SLOW-COOKER SAUSAGE AND APPLES

Slow-Cooker Sausage and Apples image

This recipe belongs to my friend Patty, who made me a wonderful cookbook of her dishes. This is one of her most popular. I often double it for parties. -Tammy Zywicki, Elmira, New York

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories Dinner

Time 3h10m

Yield 24 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 4

Ingredients

2 pounds smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, sliced
1 jar (24 ounces) chunky applesauce
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion

Steps:

Combine all ingredients in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Cook, covered on low, until heated through, 3-4 hours.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 155 calories, Fat 10g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 25mg cholesterol, Sodium 254mg sodium, Carbohydrate 11g carbohydrate (9g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 5g protein.

SLOW COOKER LENTIL SOUP WITH SAUSAGE AND APPLES

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup With Sausage and Apples image

This simple slow cooker lentil soup is flavored with tart apple and hearty smoked sausage, and finished with a little sour cream and mustard. If you don't have time to sauté the onions and apples, you can skip that step, going straight to Step 2 and putting the ingredients directly into the slow cooker. Small green lentils (also called French lentils or lentils du Puy) have a peppery flavor and keep their shape when cooked instead of falling apart, giving the soup an appealing texture. However, you could also use black lentils or easier-to-find brown lentils, but keep in mind that brown lentils will fall apart as they cook, creating a thicker stew. (Here is the stovetop version of this soup.)

Provided by Sarah DiGregorio

Categories dinner, soups and stews, main course

Time 8h30m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow or red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tart-firm apples, such as Honeycrisp, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 fresh sage sprig, leaves chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 1/2 cups/12 ounces dry hard cider (see Tip)
3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or Andouille, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick coins
1 1/2 cups/10 ounces dried small green lentils (also called French lentils or lentils du Puy)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 to 6 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Steps:

Melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add half the diced apples and cook, stirring until softened, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, garlic, sage and thyme, and stir to combine. Pour in the cider and let it come to a bubble. Scrape the mixture into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker.
Add the sausage, lentils, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper to the slow cooker; pour in 3 cups water. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are tender and the flavors are mellowed and blended, about 8 hours. The soup holds well on the warm setting.
Just before you are ready to eat, add the vinegar. Stir together the sour cream with the mustard, then stir the mixture into the soup. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve in bowls topped with the scallions and remaining chopped apple.