Crockpot White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup

October went by way too fast this year. It went by so fast that I never finished decorating my house for Halloween. :( We held a big Halloween Carnival at my boy's school so my time, attention and decorations were focused on that event. I was responsible for the Zombie Maze. We transformed the school cafeteria into a Haunted Maze, got volunteers to dress in character and scare kids. It was great and the kids and adults loved it! My photos didn't turn out so great but I'll blog about the maze in the near future after I try to belatedly finish a Halloween decorating blog this weekend. :)

Anyway, fall is finally here (as in cooler weather) and I'm neck deep in yummy comforting fall recipes. Crockpot White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup is one of those easy, delicious recipes that cooks itself. Throw it all in and forget about it. Perfect for those long workdays or cool weekends watching football. Enjoy!

White Bean, Sausage and Kale Soup

Serves 4-6

2 cups dried white beans, soaked overnight
1 Kielbasa sausage, sliced and pan-fried
1 small red pepper, diced (~1/2 c)
1 medium carrot, diced(~1/2 c)
1 small yellow onion, diced (1/2 c)
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups kale, roughly chopped
2 bay leaf
1 t. smoked paprika
1/2 t. thyme, dried
1/2 t. Italian seasoning, dried
1 t. kosher salt
pepper (to taste)
6 cups chicken broth

Soak 2 cups of dried white beans overnight. Drain water and place beans into slow cooker.
Pan fry kielbasa sausage until browned and drain about half of the rendered fat. Add sausage to slow cooker.