Navy Beans with Italian Sausage (recipe)

This recipe was extremely frugal to make, since we had three links of leftover Italian sausage on hand. I read a couple of recipes for inspiration, but then "winged it" with the ingredients I had on hand. We all liked it, so I'm sharing it with you.

As usual, I don't have precise measurements and the recipe is very flexible. This is how I made this dish. The consistency is of a thick soup; you could adjust the water to make it thicker or thinner.

Navy Beans with Italian Sausage

1 lb. dry navy beans, rinsed
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves (some recipes use sage, but I didn't have that)
3 links Italian sausage, cooked and diced
salt and pepper to taste

Soak beans overnight; drain. Add to slow cooker with enough water to cover the beans to a depth of about 2 inches. Cook on high for about two hours. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves. Cook on low for about three hours, then add sausage. Cook on low for another 30-45 minutes. Remove bay leaves, season to taste, and serve.

I'm linking this to Crock Pot Wednesdays and Slow Cooking Thursdays. Click the logos for more recipes or to link up your own.

I'm also linking up to the October Fest Carnival of Super Foods, Bean and Legume Edition at Kitchen Stewardship!