Black beans and sausage

I recently cooked up some black beans and sausage in a small crock pot. The slow cooked black beans and sausage came out great and smelled amazing as well. For lunch that day, I scoop some of the black beans and sausage onto a herb mix salad and enjoyed it along with a slice of bread. Black beans are super healthy too – high in fiber and protein.

Here is the recipe. It is very simple and easy – just little prep time and the slow cooker does all the work. I used a small 2 quart crock pot to prepare the dish. This recipe makes about 3-5 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 plump sausage links (I used Italian sausages that were about 8 inches long.)
• 1 cup dried black beans (or 2 15oz cans of black beans)
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp horseradish mustard
• 1 cup water
• sprinkles of basil and oregano

Directions:

1. If using dried beans: Soak the black beans overnight. Drain. Blanch in hot water. Set aside. If using canned beans: Drain and rinse the beans.
2. Pan fry the sausage links until the sausage is mostly cooked. Cut the sausage into smaller pieces. Set aside.
3. Place all the ingredients into a slow cooker.
4. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.

The horseradish mustard added a funky color to the dish but also gave it a nice flavor. The black bean and sausage went really well with the salad and bread. This dish can also be served over some cooked rice. Enjoy!