Stew with sausage and pasta

Ingredients:

• 225 g dry white beans (washed and sorted)
• 450 g sweet or spicy Italian sausages (4-6 pcs.)
• 1/2 cup ditalini pasta
• 1 can (410 g) sun-dried tomatoes cubes
• 1 piece Parmesan rind (110 g) optional, plus grated Parmesan for serving
• 1 onion, cut into 1 cm pieces
• 2 finely chopped carrots
• 4 finely chopped garlic cloves
• 6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied with kitchen string
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Crispy bread for serving

Preparation:

1. Place the onions in the bottom of a 6-7 quart slow cooker, then add the carrots, garlic, white beans, a bunch of thyme, and sausage. Stir the diced tomatoes into the broth and 3 cups of water, then pour the liquid over the sausage. Add the Parmesan rind (if using).
   
   Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. The beans will be tender and starting to fall apart. Open the slow cooker, remove and discard the thyme bunch and Parmesan rind, and transfer the sausages to a cutting board. Add the pasta to the stew and continue simmering, covered, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Turn off the slow cooker. Cut the sausages into small pieces and toss with the stew, adding the parsley and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese in a separate bowl (sprinkle it over the stew) and crusty bread for dipping in the broth.
   
   Cooking tip: Leftover pasta works great for this ragu. Simply skip the ditalini step and substitute refrigerated pasta, adding it to the finished ragu along with the sausage pieces. Reduce the water by 1 cup.