Italian Sausage and Beans



This recipe could not get any easier!  We have this once a week (Coltrane actually will gobble this up).  Using the fresh herbs is really the kicker, you can not only see but taste the difference.  You won't believe how much more economical it is to have a garden, or in our case, an herb garden.  We have the staples, rosemary, basil, oregano and serranos (we love spicy food)...  All of those herbs are so resilient and you can't really go wrong with keeping them alive :)  With each step of the cooking process, and each layer added, the whole house has a scent that is bursting with deliciousness!  You can really taste the simplicity and pureness of each ingredient.

Italian Sausage and Beans


INGREDIENTS


5-6 sweet italian sausage links
1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (grape, roma, cherry up to you ***if I use roma tomatoes, I do a rough chop and roast them with olive oil and salt and pepper for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven first....if using grape and cherry tomatoes just cut in half)
2 cans canellini beans (drained)
4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
2 bay leaves
about 2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes
fresh basil and oregano (about 4 tablespoons of each roughly torn)

DIRECTIONS
  • in a pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and brown the sausage on all sides until cooked through
  • once the sausage is cooked, remove from pan and place on a plate to sit
  • add the chopped garlic and bay leaves to the same pan that the sausage was cooked in
  • after about 3 minutes, add the tomatoes to the pan and cook until softened and start to break them down with a wooden spatula to create a sauce
  • add the beans and let them heat through add the red pepper flakes and add half of the torn herbs
  • add the sausage back to the pan and heat through
  • to serve put the rest of the herbs on top of the mixture 
  • ***We eat ours with a side of fresh French bread from our local store, but have also poured the sausage and beans over rice, over penne, and with Texas toast.  ALL of which were delicious, you'll make this more than once so you can try it all***