Baked Sausages with Herbed Beans
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil
- 4 large hot or sweet Italian sausages, about 1 lb. total
- 2 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cans (each 15 oz.) cannellini beans
- 1/4 cup tomato puree
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions:
Cook the sausages and onions
Preheat an oven to 400°F.
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil and the onion to the pot and sauté until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer.
Cook the beans
Add the beans with their liquid and the tomato puree to the pot and cook until the liquid begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Return the sausages to the pot.
Bake the dish
In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, cheese and the 1 tsp. olive oil. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the top and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, One Pot, by Carrolyn Carreño (Oxmoor House, 2008).