THE CROCKPOT SUPPER CLUB • SEPTEMBER 8, 2026

September has a way of belonging to two seasons at once. The markets still hold the abundance of late summer, while apples and sweet potatoes begin quietly appearing beside it. This easy slow-cooker supper brings those first hints of autumn together with savory Italian sausage, tender sweet potato and herbs, then finishes everything with fluffy rice and buttery apple just before supper.

Ingredients

For the slow cooker

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound mild or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

To finish

• 3 cups hot cooked long-grain white or brown rice
• 1 crisp apple, such as Honeycrisp, Gala or Pink Lady, cored and diced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For serving

• Extra fresh parsley or thyme, if you have it
• Crusty bread or a simple green salad, optional

☀ 1 • In the Morning

1. Brown the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage and cook for 5–7 minutes, breaking it into generous bite-size pieces, until lightly browned. It does not need to be completely cooked through. Drain excess fat if necessary.
2. Prepare the vegetables. Add the onion, sweet potato and garlic to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the thyme, sage, salt and pepper.
3. Add the savory base. Whisk the chicken broth and Dijon mustard together, then pour over the vegetables.
4. Fill the slow cooker. Spoon the browned sausage over the top and gently settle everything into an even layer. There is no need to stir repeatedly while it cooks.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6–7 hours, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sausage is completely cooked through.

◷ 2 • While You’re Away

The sausage seasons the broth as it cooks, while the onion softens into the background and the sweet potato becomes tender without losing its place in the supper. Thyme, sage and Dijon give the cooking juices a gentle autumn savoriness without turning the dish heavy.

LOW • 6–7 HOURS

⌂ 3 • When You Get Home

1. Warm the rice. Prepare or reheat 3 cups cooked rice and keep it warm while you finish the apples.
2. Make the September apple finish. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apple and cook for 3–4 minutes, just until lightly golden at the edges but still holding its shape. Remove from the heat and toss with the apple cider vinegar.
3. Finish and serve. Gently stir the hot rice and parsley into the sausage and sweet potato mixture, adding only as much of the cooking liquid as needed to keep the pilaf moist and loose. Fold in about half of the warm apples. Taste for salt and pepper, then spoon into warm bowls and scatter the remaining apples over the top.

A Little Flexibility

Use mild, sweet or hot Italian sausage according to your table. Turkey or chicken Italian sausage works nicely, too. Butternut squash can stand in for the sweet potato, and almost any firm, crisp apple will work for the finish. White rice, brown rice or a wild-rice blend can all find a home here. And if there is cooked rice waiting in the refrigerator from another supper, this is exactly the sort of recipe that knows what to do with it.

To Serve

This is meant to be a bowl-and-fork supper all by itself, but a handful of dressed greens makes a lovely fresh companion. For hungrier tables, put a loaf of crusty bread alongside and let everyone help themselves. A little extra thyme or parsley over each bowl is all the garnish it really needs.

Cook’s Note

The rice is deliberately added at the end rather than left in the slow cooker all day. Long cooking can make rice overly soft and cause it to absorb far more liquid than expected. Adding hot cooked rice when you get home keeps the grains distinct and makes this supper especially friendly to leftover rice or a quick-cooking pouch from the pantry. Keep the apple for the final few minutes, too—its little bit of sweetness, acidity and texture is what gives the dish its September finish.

Keep This One for Your Kitchen

Members of The Inner Kitchen can download the illustrated Crockpot Supper Club Printable Recipe Collection — made for printing, saving and cooking from again.

Visit The Inner Kitchen →