This hearty simple stew can be made as a delicious casserole also by decreasing the liquid. Braised cabbage, Italian sausage and cannellini white beans combine for flavor-filled comfort food.
8OuncesItalian sausagecasings removed; use hot or sweet
1-2Tablespoonolive oilcan use more if sausage doesn’t have much fat
½medium cabbageQuartered and thinly sliced
1large onionHalved and thinly sliced
2Cupscanned cannellini beans2 cups rinsed and drained (can be made ahead with dried beans)
1TeaspoonThyme or oreganocould also use rosemary
½CupHeavy cream
1 cupwateruse more if you want more of a stew rather than a casserole
½Cupgrated parmesan
½Cuppankooptional; 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.