Crock Pot Southern-Style Shrimp, Sausage, and Corn Stew

Now that we are squarely into the new year, I've kind of established our routines for this semester.  New schedules, new after school activities, doctor appointments, fleeting daylight hours… there's a lot to contend with when planning our days and nights.  Caroline takes gymnastics on Monday evenings, so needless to say, getting a healthy dinner on the table at a decent hour has been a bit tricky.  Enter the crockpot.  Mondays have become our crockpot days.  And lucky for us, I have three pretty fabulous crockpot cookbooks, not to mention the dozens of recipes I've saved over the years.  So I don't think we'll be getting bored anytime soon!

This recipe was one of the first that caught my eye in the new Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution Cookbook.  Obviously I was drawn to the southern-style recipes, and this stew is loaded with corn, smoked sausage, and shrimp.  Not to mention plenty of other veggies to give it a nice nutritional boost. This stew is really healthy, coming in at 350 calories per bowl.  And it's obviously delicious.  What's not to love?  smoky sausage, sweet corn and shrimp, hearty brown rice, and just enough spice to give it a nice kick.

Do you have a designated crock pot night, or am I just a weirdo?

Crockpot Southern-Style Shrimp, Sausage, and Corn Stew
barely adapted from ATK's Healthy Slow Cooker Revolution
serves 6

• 8 oz smoked sausage (or andouille for more heat), halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick
• 2 medium onions, chopped fine
• 3 celery ribs, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine
• 2 Tbs tomato paste
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 2 Tbs instant tapioca
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 oz shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 4 cups frozen corn, thawed
• 1-2 tsp hot sauce

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the sausage, onions, celery, bell peppers, tomato paste, garlic, and old bay seasoning.  Stir well and cook in the microwave 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.  

Transfer to the slow cooker and stir in the water, broth, rice, tapioca, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  Cover and cook on low for 3 to 5 hours (or 2 to 4 hours on high).

Stir the shrimp and corn into the stew, cover, and increase the heat to high.  Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through.  If the stew is too thick, stir in some extra broth or water.  Stir in the hot sauce, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve, passing the hot sauce around the table.