Crockpot Pumpkin, Sausage, and Apple Stew

This Crockpot Pumpkin, Sausage, and Apple Stew is one of my favorite recipes to make this time of year.  It incorporates some of the best flavors of fall, and it’s a great way to warm up as the weather gets colder.  I also love that this stew comes together in the crockpot, making preparation a breeze on busy days.  You can even combine your ingredients in the crockpot the night before, store in the refrigerator, and turn on the heat when you’re ready to get cooking!

I created this Crockpot Pumpkin, Sausage, and Apple Stew to serve at our annual Hocus Pocus Viewing Party.  You can check out our themed dinner HERE!

Ingredients

This Crockpot Pumpkin, Sausage, and Apple Stew utilizes several fall ingredients:

• A 2.5lb pumpkin (approx 4 cups diced pumpkin) OR 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
• 2lbs Italian sausage, browned
• 1 large leek, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 granny smith apples, peeled and diced
• 2 large red potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup apple cider
• 3 tsp dried sage
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt

To thicken your stew, you will also need to prepare a slurry towards the end of cooking time. For the slurry, you will need the following ingredients:

• 6 Tbl butter
• 6 Tbl flour
• 2 Tbl cornstarch

Preparation

1. In a hot frying pan, brown your Italian sausage with the fennel seeds.  Once cooked through, add chopped garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds until fragrant. Drain the grease and transfer the sausage to the bottom of your crockpot.
2. Combine your remaining stew ingredients in the crockpot, reserving your slurry ingredients for later use.  The slurry will thicken your stew toward the end of cooking time.  Cover the crockpot and set to LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH 4-6 hours.
3. Once veggies are tender, grab a small bowl, and combine your slurry ingredients until a paste forms.  Gently spoon and stir the slurry paste into the crockpot and cook for an additional 30min until stew has thickened.
4. Enjoy this stew piping hot!  This stew pairs great with biscuits or pumpkin cornbread. Yum!

Have you made this Crockpot Pumpkin, Sausage, and Apple Stew at home?  Let us know how it turned out in the comments!

Looking for other easy recipes to make in your crockpot? Check out our Easy Crockpot Irish Stew HERE and our Crockpot Alphabet Soup HERE!

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