Fall Sausage Casserole

On Tuesday morning we woke up to just a very small amount of snow.

















It's the coldest weather we've had so far, but nothing colder than what we had in Indiana. Highs in the 30s (Fahrenheit, of course).

Even though winter is starting, for dinner we had something called "fall casserole."


















We had to alter the recipe just a little bit. After 6 hours the cooked rice had already absorbed all the moisture, and the carrots weren't done yet. We added more broth, totaling probably a cup (counting the 1/3 cup in the recipe).

But after adding broth and putting it on high for an hour, it was done and really creamy. We also added more salt and pepper, and 2 tsp of red pepper flakes (reflected below). I'm glad we had some left over so I can eat it for dinner again!

Fall Sausage Casserole
from A Year of Slow Cooking

--1 pound sausage (I used chicken with artichoke and garlic)
--1 large, or 2 small apples, chopped (no need to peel)
--1 yellow onion, chopped
--1/2 cup chopped carrots
--3 cups already cooked long-grain rice*
--1/2 cup raisins
--1 T dried parsley flakes
--1 T brown sugar
--1/2 tsp allspice
-- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
--1/2 tsp cinnamon
--1/4 tsp black pepper (start with 1/8 if your kids don't tolerate a touch of spice)
--1 cup chicken broth or water


The amount of ingredients fit nicely in a 4 quart crockpot. I'd say this comfortably feeds a family of 4-5 with a bit of leftovers. If you have a large family or teenagers, add more rice and sausage. It's a pretty easy recipe to adapt to your needs.

If you are going to use uncooked pork sausage, I'd recommend browning on the stove top, and draining before adding to the crockpot.

Otherwise, dump all the ingredients into the crock, and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4. You're really only heating through, and allowing the vegetables to soften.

This will not stick together like a gloppy casserole; it has the consistency of fried rice. Use bowls to serve rather than plates.


*I used white rice because it's what I had.