1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
1 (14½ ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cooked and chopped bacon
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup diced green bell pepper
16 ounces canned tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 sprig fresh rosemary
4 bay leafs
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces dried ditalini pasta
1 (14½ ounce) can great northern beans, drained
1 (14½ ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
In a saute pan, brown Italian sausage, breaking apart into crumbles.
In a 6-quart slow cooker, add cooked sausage, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, bacon, garlic, yellow onion, celery, carrots, red and green bell peppers, tomato sauce, thyme, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
Set slow cooker to low heat and cook for 5 hours, or until vegetables are tender.
Add beans and continue to cook on low heat for 1 hour.
Cook pasta according to package. Drain.
Add pasta to slow cooker. Heat through until hot, about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary. Serve immediately.
Pro tip: For a mild, less spicy dish, use sweet Italian sausage or ground beef.
Note: All slow cookers are a little bit different in temperature and calibration. This recipe was tested in Cooktop Cove's Test Kitchen using this slow cooker, which is available for purchase here.