What I really love about this particular meal is that it requires minimal active cooking time, uses only two pots, and utilizes economical ingredients, yet still manages to pack in the flavor. While the beans are simmering, garlic and sage aromas permeate the air tantalizing your taste buds. When you sit down to dinner and finally have that first bite, you will know the wait was worth it. This dish was inspired by Italian peasant food and boy did they know what they were doing. Buon Appetito!
If you enjoyed reading this post, like my Facebook page and subscribe to my blog to follow my cooking adventures and flavorful journeys!
Sausages with White Beans in Tomato Sauce
Print recipe
| Serves | 4-6 |
| Meal type | Main Dish |
| Region | Italian |
| From magazine | Bon Appétit, October 2009 |
Ingredients
- 1 pounds dried cannellini or navy beans
- 8 cups water (room-temperature)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 head garlic (unpeeled, top 1/2 inch cut off to expose cloves)
- 1 sprig sage (fresh)
- 1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled, minced)
- 6 whole sweet Italian sausages
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (juice reserved)
- 2 sprigs sage (fresh)
- 1 cup water
Directions
| Beans with Garlic and Sage | |
| Step 1 | |
| Place beans in large bowl. Cover with cold water (at least 6 cups) and let soak overnight. | |
| Step 2 | |
 Drain beans. Place in large pot. Add 8 cups room-temperature water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, head of garlic, 1 fresh sage sprig, and 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Mix in 1 teaspoon coarse salt. Continue to simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if needed to keep beans covered, about 30 minutes longer. | |
| Step 3 | |
| Using slotted spoon, transfer beans to serving bowl, reserving bean cooking liquid, discarding garlic, sage, and peppercorns. Season beans to taste with salt and pepper. | |
| Sausages with White Beans in Tomato Sauce | |
| Step 4 | |
 Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic. Sauté garlic until golden, about 2 minutes. Add sausages; sauté until browned, about 5 minutes. Add ½ cup reserved bean cooking liquid, tomatoes with juice, and 2 fresh sage sprigs. Simmer 5 minutes. Add beans and 1 cup water. Cover and simmer until sausages are cooked through, adding more water if dry, about 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer until sauce thickens, if desired. Season with salt and pepper. | |
LOVE IT!!!
Winning!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Cool dish, and an amazing website.
Poetic sausages! Me want! Love the olive oil & fresh herbs. 🙂
You can’t beat fresh herbs!