🍲 Slow Cooker Sausage and Caramelized Onion Gravy
A rich, comforting dish where sausages simmer slowly with deeply caramelized onions in a savory gravy. Perfect over mashed potatoes, rice, or crusty bread. 😋
🛒 Ingredients
- 6–8 pork or beef sausages
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp butter or olive oil
- 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional, helps caramelization)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional for depth)
- 2 tbsp flour or cornstarch (for thickening)
- 1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbsp fresh)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
🔥 Step 1: Caramelize the Onions
- Heat butter/oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Add sliced onions and cook 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle brown sugar halfway through to deepen the caramelization.
- Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
(This step builds the deep flavor of the gravy.)
🥘 Step 2: Brown the Sausages
- In the same pan, lightly brown the sausages for 3–4 minutes per side.
- This adds flavor but they will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
⏲️ Step 3: Slow Cook
- Add caramelized onions to the slow cooker.
- Place sausages on top.
- Pour in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Cook:
- Low: 6–7 hours
- High: 3–4 hours
🥄 Step 4: Thicken the Gravy
- Mix flour (or cornstarch) with 2–3 tbsp water to form a slurry.
- Stir into the slow cooker during the last 20–30 minutes.
- Let it thicken into a rich onion gravy.
🍽️ Serving Ideas
Serve over:
- Creamy mashed potatoes 🥔
- Buttered egg noodles
- Steamed rice
- Thick toasted bread
Top with chopped parsley for freshness.
⭐ Tips
- Add sliced mushrooms for extra umami.
- A splash of dark beer or red wine in the broth makes the gravy even richer.
- If using chicken sausages, switch to chicken broth.
If you’d like, I can also show you:
- A 5-ingredient lazy slow cooker version (super quick prep)
- A British pub-style sausage & onion gravy recipe 🇬🇧
- A one-pot stovetop version (30 minutes).
