Last week I made bean soup. My mother made it this way with ham hocks, but the DH wanted more meat, so I modified it. I use a slow cooker because it does something magical to the sausage, giving it a delicious, velvety texture. Also it causes the spices in the sausage to escape and flavor the entire batch.
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Ingredients: one pound of dried baby lima beans. 2 bay leaves, 1/2 of a good-sized yellow onion, one package of cryowurst. Optional carrots

What is cryowurst? It is our own name for mild, firm sausage which is about one-inch in diameter and is packed as one long link in plastic. I like the Eckrich brand. Bought on sale and put in the freezer, it keeps a long time.

Soak the beans overnight in cool water. Next day, put a liner in the slow cooker, and add the beans. Add 5 cups of water.

Cut the cryowurst into pieces about 1/2 inch thick. Cut those pieces in half, if you wish. Chop up the half-onion, not too fine.
If you want carrots, chop them now. Put the wurst, onion, carrots and two bay leaves into the slow cooker and cook on low. After about 4 hours, check to make sure there is enough water. If not, add some.

Cook for a long time, (8 hours?) till the beans are tender. (There is no need to take the beans out and run them through a blender.)

This makes enough for two generous meals for two people. We like it with cornbread.

Let diners add salt and pepper at the table.