Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole

Comforting weekday meals just got easier. Meet Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole – your new favorite one-skillet dinner. Ready in just 30 minutes on the stove, it’s the kind of comfort food your family will ask for again and again. All you need is some crusty bread to soak up every bite of sauce. Instructions for the slow cooker are also included.

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Italian sausages (mild or spicy)
• Onion
• Garlic
• Rosemary
• Tomato paste (tomato puree in the UK)
• Italian red wine
• Red pepper flakes/crushed peppers
• Canned chopped tomatoes
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cooked cannellini/white beans or excellent

Think of this dish like a casserole in Italy or a cassoulet in France – essentially an Italian sausage stew made with simple, comforting ingredients.

You can prepare this casserole in advance and reheat it easily. I’m guaranteed the whole family will love it, and it’s even better the next day as leftovers.

Best Italian Sausage to Use

I like to use sweet Italian sausage because it balances and offsets the spice in the sauce. If you prefer more heat, spicy Italian sausage works just as well: just adjust the seasoning to your taste. A plain or mild Italian sausage is also a great option.

Sweet Italian sausage is delicious on its own, as a pizza topping, or served in a bun with peppers and onions. They’re especially good when simmered with cannellini beans in a tomato and rosemary sauce, where their flavor really shines.

Sauce spice level

The heat of this sauce is completely adjustable. Red pepper flakes allow you to add just a touch of spice or increase it to your liking. Using sweet Italian sausage helps balance the heat, while spicy Italian sausage will naturally kick it up a notch – just be careful with the amount of spices you add to the sauce.

Classic Italian dishes

I love cooking Italian dishes like this with beans, especially recipes inspired by Tuscany, where beans play a central role in everyday cooking. Meals like Tuscan Bean Soup or Warm Bean Crostini are classic examples of how simple ingredients create deeply comforting foods.

Lentils are another staple food in the region, as well as in Sicily. Some of my favorite lentil dishes include Lentil Soup with Winter Vegetables and Sicilian Lentil Pasta. Both pictured below.

Chef’s advice

Because Italian sausage is already full of flavor, I like to brown it first in the same pan. This adds depth and richness to the sauce.

Canned beans work wonderfully in this dish since they are added near the end of cooking. There’s no need to simmer for long and they hold their shape while soaking up all that delicious flavor.

Wine substitute

This recipe includes wine, but it can easily be omitted if you’re serving children or prefer to go alcohol-free. Simply replace it with chicken broth or stock for the same depth of flavor.

Slow Cooker Italian Sausages and Beans

This casserole is perfect for the slow cooker. Use dried beans, as canned beans fall apart. Soak the dried beans overnight and cook them before adding them to the slow cooker.

Brown the sausage as directed in step 1, then add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours. The result is a rich, hearty meal with minimal effort.

Print

Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole

Mild Italian sausage is cooked with cannellini beans, in a tomato-rosemary-wine sauce.

Course Dinner Ideas

Kitchen Italian

Preparation time 10 minutes minutes

Cooking time 20 minutes minutes

Total duration 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 435kilocalories

Author Janette

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 sweet or spicy Italian sausages
• 1 cup (128 grams) onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves grated or finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary ax
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (puree in the UK)
• Small pinch of red pepper flakes more if you like it spicier
• ½ cup (118 ml) Italian red wine (replace chicken broth for children)
• 3 cups (700 grams) canned chopped tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
• 30 ounces (878 grams) canned cannellini/white beans, drained (or dried if prepared in the slow cooker)

To prepare on the stove:

• Heat a braising pan or high-sided frying pan/skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Brown the sausages for about 3 minutes on each side until browned (they do not need to be cooked through). Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside.

• In the same pan, add the onions (add more oil if necessary) and cook until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for 1 minute, taking care not to let them brown.

• Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes, stirring to combine. Pour in the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

• Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the tomatoes break down into a sauce consistency.

• Stir in the beans, then return the sausage to the pan. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes until everything is heated through and the flavors are blending.

To prepare in the slow cooker:

• Soak the dried beans overnight in water. Brown the sausage as in step 1, then put everything in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

You will need to use dried beans, as the cans will fall apart and they will need to be soaked overnight before cooking. Brown the sausage as in step 1, then put everything in the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Portion: 1 | Calories: 435kilocalories | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 45g | Saturated fat: 18g | Sodium: 437mg