Turkey Italian Sausage with Roasted Tomatoes and Cannelini Beans

I'm always looking for a way to incorporate healthy ingredients into my diet.  This recipe produces rich, creamy cannellini beans in a light rustic tomato sauce with just a little kick of spice.  Served with a nice crusty Italian bread, this is a quick, hearty dinner for any night of the week.

Ingredients:

 Olive oil

4 Turkey Italian sausages

1 small onion diced

1 T minced fresh garlic

1 pint grape tomatoes halved (cherry tomatoes also good)

5 bay leaves

1 can cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)

Red pepper flake (to taste)

Salt & pepper (to taste)

Fresh basil

In a heavy bottom skillet heat 1 T olive oil; brown sausages until barely cooked through. Remove from the pan. Add a little more olive oil if the pan is dry. Saute onion until translucent. Add garlic. When garlic is fragrant, add tomatoes, bay leaves, red pepper and salt & pepper; scraping bottom of pan to deglaze any yummy bits that will add flavor to your sauce.

After about 5 minutes, add sausages back into pan and allow to simmer stirring as needed. If pan appears too dry add a little water. About 5 minutes before serving, add a chiffonade of basil. More basil can be ripped and sprinkled on top at service.


If you want just a vegetarian bean side dish omit the turkey sausage and begin with sautéing the onion.