Sausages with White Beans in Tomato Sauce via Bon Appetit

Perfect for the first day of fall, the Bon Appetit newsletter highlighted several Oktobestfest, and easy Italian recipes. Upon looking, I was immediately floored to cook this delicious recipe: sausages with white beans in tomato sauce.

I followed the instructions almost to a tee and it turned out beautifully. Hearty, rich and protein heavy, this was a simple recipe that can be execute by the most novice of chefs. I would highly, highly recommend on a blustery fall day :)

I changed up the recipe for portions and also I did not have the 1/2 cup of reserved cooking liquid, but it was still great.

Ingredients (for two! Jackie ate with me :) )

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can white beans 
• 4 links of sweet Italian sausage (although this was a lot for two people - going back I would use two)
• 1 can plum tomatoes in juice
• 1 large fresh sage sprigs
• 1 cup water

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot (can be skillet, but I liked using a pot). Saute garlic until browned, about 2 minutes.

Add in sausage. I removed the casings and simply crumbled. To remove the casing just run your knife down the side of the link and pull back the casing. Saute the sausage for about 5 minutes until its brown.

Add in the tomatoes and sage. Let this simmer on low heat for five minutes.

Next add in the white beans and water, then place lid on and let the mixture simmer for 30 minutes.

If your stew is too runny, take off the lid and turn up the heat. If you mixture is looking too dry add in 1/4 cup water.

Honestly, the consistency for me was perfect.

This will be one of my go-to recipes for the fall. Not only is it completely filling, but for the entire meal including bread the total came out to about $10, which will serve about 3 people (we had enough left overs for another person).