Sausage-And-Bean Stew

• 1 pound smoked sausage
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (48-oz.) container reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cups dried great Northern beans
• 2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 3/4 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 10 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Parmesan cheese rind
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• Garnishes: chopped fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese

1. Cut sausage into 2-inch pieces, and halve sausage pieces lengthwise, cutting to but not through other side. Cook half of sausage in 1 Tbsp. hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer sausage and drippings to a 7-qt. slow cooker. Repeat with remaining sausage and oil.
2. Add 1 cup broth to skillet, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to loosen browned bits from bottom of skillet. Boil 1 minute or until reduced by half. Stir beans, next 8 ingredients, boiled broth mixture, 3 cups water, and remaining broth into slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH 7 hours or until beans are tender. Discard cheese rind.
3. Stir mixture with rosemary sprig 30 seconds to 1 minute; discard rosemary. Remove 1 cup beans, and process in a blender 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Stir pureed bean mixture into slow cooker. (Repeat procedure with 1 more cup beans, if a thicker consistency is desired.) Serve immediately.

sausage, olive oil, chicken broth, dried great northern beans, yellow onion, carrot, celery, garlic, fresh sage, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, parmesan cheese rind, rosemary, fresh parsley

Taken from www.myrecipes.com/recipe/sausage-bean-stew (may not work)