Autumn Sausage Casserole

There are many flavors strongly associated with the fall season.  One of them is definitely apples; in fact, October happens to be National Apple Month.  With this seasonal spirit in mind, I was inspired to give this recipe a try.

Recipe: (found on Crock Pot Girls Facebook page)
1 pound sausage, sliced (I used Trader Joe's all natural Sweet Apple Chicken sausage)

 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 (I used brown rice)
1 tbl. dried parsley flakes
1 tbl. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/3 cup chicken broth or water (I used water)

If you are using uncooked pork sausage, brown on stove and drain before adding to crock pot.  If your sausage is precooked (as mine was), you can just dump it all in the crock pot.  You can put the cooked rice in the crock pot or cook it separately right before serving and serve rest of casserole on top of rice.

Put all ingredients in crock pot and stir well.  Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours or on high 3-4. 

Nutrition Information:
I entered the recipe onto Spark Recipe's nutrition calculator, but the exact numbers will vary based on what kind of sausage you use (they had chicken and apple sausage but a different brand than mine), if you use water or chicken broth, what kind of rice etc.  Approximate per serving value (assuming 4 servings) is:

Calories: 409
Fat: 13.7 g
Saturated Fat: 4.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat / Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5 g each
Cholesterol: 70 mg
Sodium: 981 mg
Potassium: 214.5 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 56.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.5 g
Sugars: 16.1 g

The sodium is definitely high and due almost entirely to the sausage.  High sodium content is pretty unavoidable if you are going to be cooking with sausage.   Not something I would eat every day but certainly not something I feel guilty about enjoying on a chilly fall evening.

Verdict:  Yum!  Two thumbs up from both Alex and myself.  It definitely felt seasonal, warm, and comforting.  Just a little sweet without feeling like you were eating a dessert instead of dinner.  I would make a few modifications for next time, though.  And there will be a next time.  I cooked mine for 5 1/2 hours on low, which I think ended up being a bit too long since the apples were too mushy for my taste.  Next time I'll try 4 1/2 hours and see what that does.  I'm reluctant to add the apples in the last hour or two of cooking since the point is for the rest of the casserole to soak up the apple flavor.  Also, I cooked my rice right before serving.  I do think it would be better for the rice to soak up the delicious flavors from the apples, carrots, and sausage, so next time I'll put the cooked rice in the crock pot with all the other ingredients.

And a Diva Note: For an extra special taste of fall, serve with your favorite seasonal beverage, like Witches Brew spiced red wine, straight from Leelanau, Michigan!