Italian White Bean & Sausage Stew | Food Wishes

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: chicken sausage

💰Cheaper: pork sausage

Chicken sausage reduces fat while maintaining flavor.

white beans

🥗Healthier: cannellini beans

💰Cheaper: navy beans

Navy beans are often less expensive and work well in stews.

Soak dry cannellini beans overnight in cold fresh water.

Remove the casing from Italian sausage by making one cut down the center and peeling it off.

Transfer the sausage into a dry soup pot over medium-high heat and brown it, breaking it into small pieces.

Add diced onion to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes until softened and translucent.

Deglaze the pot with white wine, scraping up the caramelized bits from the bottom.

Add freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of red chili flakes, and one bay leaf.

Pour in 6 to 8 cups of water, depending on desired thickness, and stir.

Add the soaked and drained beans to the pot and crank the heat to high to bring to a boil.

Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about an hour or until beans are tender.

Add salt halfway through cooking, around the 30-minute mark.

After beans are tender, use a potato masher to smash about 20 to 25 percent of the beans for a creamier texture.

Stir in 3 to 4 handfuls of chopped greens (Dino kale) and raise heat to medium.

Cook until greens are tender, about 15 minutes, checking along the way.

Taste and adjust salt if necessary before serving.

Serve hot in a bowl, optionally drizzling with extra virgin olive oil and grating cheese on top.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens