This Tuscan-style stew is one of my go-to weeknight meals when I want something hearty without a lot of fuss. Italian sausage, cannellini beans, and braised cabbage come together in about 30 minutes, and the whole dish is slow carb compliant if you skip the optional panko topping.
After five years of coaching people through the slow carb diet, I’ve learned that comfort food like this (full of flavor, high in protein, simple to make) is what keeps people on track.
Quick Summary: A hearty Italian stew with Italian sausage, cannellini beans, and braised cabbage in a light cream sauce. Ready in 30 minutes, slow carb compliant (without panko topping), and freezes well for batch cooking. Prep: 10 min | Cook: 35 min | Serves: 6
Jump to: Recipe. | Ingredients & Substitutions | Soup vs Stew vs Casserole | Is This Recipe Slow Carb? | More Hearty Stews | FAQ
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Ingredients
The following photo shows you all the ingredients you will need for this recipe. For details on measurements, see the recipe below.
There are many substitutions you could use with this stew to customize it to your preferences. Some common substitutions include:
Meat:
I used mild Italian sausage (uncooked) and removed the casings before cooking in the skillet. Hot Italian sausage is another good alternative if you like a little more spice. Turkey sausage and breakfast sausage all work.
Chorizo (not the cured kind) would be great and add even more spice to the stew. Some people use pancetta or cured meats, which are great but just know that they do not render the fat that is used to braise the cabbage in. You could add oil instead of the sausage fat, but the taste would be less robust.
In hearty stews however, I find it easier and just as tasty to use canned beans. In this stew/casserole, the beans are combined with strong ingredients (sausage and cabbage) and their role is more along the lines of adding texture and protein.
Beans
Dried beans cooked in an instant pot or on the stove ahead of time are preferred for many dishes that highlight the beans, as they can offer more flavor and texture.
I used canned beans (rinsed) in this particular recipe, but want to test it against dry beans. The dry beans should be high quality to really highlight the flavor against the other robust ingredients.
Spices and Herbs
Tuscan dishes favor many of the Mediterranean herbs, and can be used interchangeably. I used thyme in this dish, but oregano and rosemary are excellent substitutes.
What is the Difference Between a Soup and a Stew and a Casserole?
I made this recipe to be more of a casserole than a soup. Soup will include more liquid with a thinner broth. Stew is the in-between title.
The first time I made it, I used 1/2 cup of heavy cream and no other liquid, which I found to be too dry.I didn’t really want a soup however, so I compromised with 1/2 cup of cream and 1 cup of water.
You could easily substitute chicken broth for the liquid or vegetable broth if you are vegetarian. If you want to turn this dish into a soup, use 4 cups of broth. Soup, stew, casserole……they’re all absolutely wonderful!
Is Sausage Bean Stew Slow carb, Low carb or Keto?
Everything in this dish works on a slow carb diet except for the panko breading, and the panko is truly optional. It adds the crispy crunch of a crust which is nice, but not necessary.
The beans are not considered low carb or keto, but they are compliant with slow carb diets. They do have a lot of carbs, but the high level of fiber makes it a complex carb and offsets the glycemic response.
I love beans, and the one dietary ingredient that the 5 Blue Zones (areas of the world with the highest number of healthy people over 100) have in common is beans.
Beans are an excellent protein source which vegetarians have known about for ages. I find them extremely helpful when trying to cut meat consumption and still maintain a healthy amount of protein in your diet.
Another similar great “stew” is this Italian white bean, kale and sausage stew.
FAQ
Yes. Cook them ahead in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop. Dried beans offer slightly better texture, but canned beans (rinsed) work well in this stew since the sausage and cabbage carry most of the flavor.
Mild or hot Italian sausage, casings removed. Turkey sausage or breakfast sausage also work. Fresh chorizo adds more spice. Avoid cured meats like pancetta.
Yes, if you skip the panko topping. Beans are allowed on slow carb because their high fiber content offsets the glycemic response. The cream and sausage are also compliant.
Absolutely. It freezes well for up to 3 months. Portion into individual containers for easy lunches.
Increase the liquid to 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth instead of 1 cup water plus cream. The flavors work the same; only the consistency changes.
Yes, I would use dried beans if making in a slow cooker to avoid the beans getting too mushy.
If you’re following the slow carb diet, check out my simple list of Slow Carb Allowed Foods or grab my ebook A Guide to Fat Loss Through a Slow Carb Diet for meal plans and troubleshooting tips.
Other Comforting Hearty Soups & Stews
In the heart of Winter there is nothing more comforting than a hearty warm stew, a glass of wine and a good read. Here are a few of my favorite Winter stews/soups:
- Moroccan Beef and Sweet Potato Stew
- Crockpot Chili: Slow Carb
- Low Carb Oyster Stew
- Osso Buco with (or without) Lamb Shanks
- Cioppino (and Bouillabaisse)
- Slow Cooked Pork Chile Verde
- Keto Mussels with Coconut Curry Broth
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Tuscan White Bean, Sausage and Cabbage Stew
Equipment
- small bowl
- spatula or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Italian sausage casings removed; use hot or sweet
- 1-2 Tablespoon olive oil can use more if sausage doesn’t have much fat
- ½ medium cabbage Quartered and thinly sliced
- 1 large onion Halved and thinly sliced
- 2 Cups canned cannellini beans 2 cups rinsed and drained (can be made ahead with dried beans)
- 1 Teaspoon Thyme or oregano could also use rosemary
- ½ Cup Heavy cream
- 1 cup water use more if you want more of a stew rather than a casserole
- ½ Cup grated parmesan
- ½ Cup panko optional; leave out if slow carb
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Add a bit of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Remove casing from sausages and sauté sausage for about 5 minutes in the skillet, breaking it apart with a spatula or wooden spoon. When sausage is no longer pink, remove it to a plate and set aside.8 Ounces Italian sausage
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and heat up. Then add the sliced cabbage the sliced onion and a little salt and cook over medium to medium-high heat until lightly browned and somewhat caramelized. This will take about 10 minutes.1-2 Tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 medium cabbage, 1 large onion
- When cabbage-onion mixture is browned and caramelized, add sausage back to the skillet. Then add the crushed thyme, the beans, the cream and the water. Stir everything together thoroughly.2 Cups canned cannellini beans, 1 Teaspoon Thyme or oregano, 1/2 Cup Heavy cream, 1 cup water
- In a small bowl stir together parmesan and panko (if using). This will be the topping of the casserole. If your skillet is ovenproof, just sprinkle the topping over the skillet ingredients and place in the oven for 15 minutes. If your stew/casserole was made in a skillet that is not ovenproof, transfer the ingredients to an ovenproof dish first, then sprinkle on the topping and place in oven.To brown up the topping even more you can set the oven to broil for the last 2 minutes.1/2 Cup grated parmesan, 1/2 Cup panko
- Serve with a glass of pinot grigio! This is very filling and doesn’t really need bread to go with it.
I followed your recipe as much as I could. I didn’t have all the listed ingredients but I feel it turned out well. I like the idea of the Mediterranean diet with its amount of more veggies and being rustic. Thank you again!
So glad it turned out for you Melanie! It is a good thing to customize all recipes with what you have available or with your own preferences in taste. The more you cook, the easier it is to know where and when to substitute or leave out things. Harder to do with baking where ingredients need to be more precise, but this recipe lends itself well to modification. Thanks for letting me know!
Can this be made in a slow cooker?
I have not made it in a slow cooker but I don’t see why not. I would use dried beans as canned beans might get mushy. Other than that, using a slow cooker should be just fine.