Slow-Cooked Cannellini Beans and Sausages
This one-pot meal is prepared in a Cuisinart multicooker, which allows you to brown the ingredients and then slowly cook them, all in the same vessel. Soaking the dried beans overnight ensures they cook evenly.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 lb. kielbasa sausages
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 Tbs. tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 fresh thyme sprig
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 1 fresh sage sprig
- 1 1/2 lb. dried cannellini beans, rinsed, soaked overnight and drained
- 1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 6 oz. baby spinach
- Crostini for serving
Directions
Preheat a Cuisinart multicooker on the brown/sauté setting to 400ºF according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil in the multicooker. Add the sausages and cook until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cut 2 links into large dice; leave the other links whole.
Warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil in the multicooker. Add the onion, celery and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the stock, water, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary, sage, cannellini beans and diced sausages, then place the sausage links on top. Set the multicooker on the slow cook-simmer setting. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the beans are tender, about 3 hours, adding the tomatoes during the last 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil, the butter, salt and black pepper. Transfer the bread crumb mixture to a sauté pan, set over medium heat and toast until crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool, then stir in the parsley.
Transfer the sausage links to a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Skim the fat off the cooking liquid and season the beans with salt and black pepper. Add the spinach and gently fold in until just wilted. Slice the sausage links on the bias.
Ladle the beans and broth into warmed bowls and top with the sliced sausages. Serve immediately with the toasted bread crumbs and crostini. Serves 6 to 8.