Easy Dirty Rice

I've never had dirty rice. I always see the boxed version of it and always thought it looked yummy. I came across a recipe from my crockpot recipe cookbook and thought to give it a try. It was pretty easy, but thought that it tasted a little bland. I don't know if I would repeat this recipe again. Maybe, I'll adjust it to better suit my taste.

1/2 lb. bulk Italian sausage
2 3/4 cup water
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper/cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1) Brown sausage in a skillet for 6-8 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring to break up meat. Drain fat. Place sausage in slow cooker.

2) Stir in remaining ingredients, except parsley. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Stir in parsley.