Sausage & Bean Casserole

Wow, I am a negligent blogger. Unfortunately, after more than 100 postings, I am starting to run out of "new" recipes (new to the blog, at least) to post. Some of you have sent me some great recipes, and I look forward to trying them and sharing them on the blog as well! But here's a Cooking Light casserole that we had last week for dinner. It's vaguely French, kind of like a cassoulet? Easy to throw together because lots of canned things and precooked things in the recipe.

SAUSAGE & BEAN CASSEROLE

Recipe Notes

This recipe calls for a Dutch oven, which I really recommend because it can go from the stovetop into the oven. Just be careful, because you do have to hand wash it due to the ceramic glaze.

Nutritional Information (per serving - serves 8)

205 calories - 3.3 g. fat - 12.1 g. protein - 4.4 g. fiber

Ingredients

• 1 c. finely chopped onion
• One 16-oz. package light smoked turkey sausage (such as Hillshire Farm), cut into 1/4 in. slices
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 14 oz. can fat-free chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• Three 16-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper (optional)
• Three 1-oz. slices white bread
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and turkey sausage to pan. Saute for five minutes until browned, then add garlic and saute for two minutes more.

3. Stir in chicken broth, scraping down sides of pan. Stir in brown sugar, tomato paste, thyme, pepper, beans, and bay leaf. Add ground red pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.

4. Place bread crumbs and parsley in a food processor and pulse approximately 10 times until fine crumbs form. You should have approximately 1-1/2 cups of breadcrumbs.

5. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over bean mixture and lightly coat top with cooking spray.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until browned on top. Discard bay leaf and enjoy!