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.
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
195 minutes
Servings
8
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.
Rated 5 out of
5 by
jenn from
FabulousMade this mostly as directed and it was wonderful. The changes that I made were only due to lack of ingredient or tools, I only had 1 pound of beans instead of 1 and a half so used my 1 pound of Rancho Gordo Marcella beans. I do not have the 'multi-cooker' so did the sauteeing in my Dutch oven that I then placed in the oven at 325°. Oh, I also gave the beans a 10 minute 'hard boil' as recommended by the bean experts before placing my dutch oven in the oven.
Also, saw no need to melt the butter then 'mix the bread crumbs in a bowl' prior to frying. I melted the butter and oil together in the fry pan, threw my bread crumbs/croutons in the pan and mixed right in the pan. I'm lazy and like to save on dish washing where I can.
Anyway, all eaters agreed it was REALLY GOOD.
Date published: 2018-09-14
Rated 5 out of
5 by
katiesmom from
wonderful cold weather meal!I was looking for something to make for dinner that didn't require a trip to the grocery. I found this and thought it sounded alright. Boy was I wrong, it was wonderful! I would serve this company, just don't skip on the breadcrumbs. They add a wonderful flavor boost and texture.
After reading the reviews I was a little worried about the cooking time. I used northern beans b/c my grocery doesn't carry dried cannellini beans. I soaked them over night then cooked them in my slow cooker on low for about 6 hours. The beans were perfect. My slow cooker has different setting options than the ones described in the recipe. I'm assuming the simmer setting would be equivalent to the high setting on mine because on low the shortest setting option is 6 hours, 3 hours on high. However long it takes to cook the beans, it's worth it. My family including my 4 year old is already asking me to make this again.
Date published: 2013-10-27
Rated 5 out of
5 by
djdnice from
A crowd pleaserCannellini beans, like other kidney beans need to be boiled for 10 minutes to remove toxins that cause gastric distress. It also helps to soften and cut down on the cook time. Soak them overnight in plain water, hard boil 10 minutes, drain, and then add to your other ingredients. In doing this the beans and sausages will be perfect. I used vegetable stock, diced tomatoes with the juice. My husband who does not like bean recipes ate this one! Bon Appetite.
Date published: 2012-05-04
Rated 5 out of
5 by
chefintraining from
Cold Night GoodnessI guess I am one of the lucky ones - I prepared this dish as outlined and it was wonderful- My husband is not a bean eater but he loved this dish-the only changes I made was slow cooked for 4 hours instead of 3 then the 30 minutes for the tomatoes-served with toasted slice french bread-glass of wine and the cold night made it the perfect meal. This recipe is a keeper
Date published: 2012-01-22
Rated 5 out of
5 by
jahh from
better the second time aroundThis soup is delicious. I used the beans offered by Williams Sonoma with excellent results. We froze what was left and when we reheated the soup is was even better. Highly recommend it if you like this sort of thing. Jo Anne