Great Northern White Beans and Chicken Sausage
I love beans. Beans are full of fiber and they are often a protein substitute for me, especially when I am practicing “Meatless Mondays”. This recipe satisfies my need for keeping it healthy and makes my husband extra happy by me adding 5 links of chicken sausage stuffed with spinach and feta. The secret to making this extra creamy is by mashing a few of the white beans against the inside of your pot. Plate your white beans over some brown rice or do like me and pour over riced cauliflower to cut down on the carbs….by doing this, you can add a bit more beans!
Ingredients you will need:
- Dried 1 LB Great Northern White Beans. I like the Camellia Brand
- 1/2 large Red Pepper diced
- 4 large stalks of chopped celery
- 1 large and one small sweet onion. Get the Vidalia onions if available.
- Cooked chicken sausage- I like the cooked chicken sausage from whole foods that is made with spinach and feta. You can use any type of chicken or turkey sausage. I strongly suggest cooking your sausage on the grill (whether you buy this cooked or uncooked). Adding grilled sausage to your pot of beans will add tons more flavor!
- olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of Italian Seasoning
- 3 fresh Bay Leaves
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sea salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- 8-10 cups of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- Fresh chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon of fresh tarragon
- 6-8 dashes of Tabasco
Let’s get cooking!
- Drizzle a bit of your olive oil at the bottom of dutch oven pot and add all of your chopped celery, onions and red bell pepper to the pot.
- add a couple pinches of salt, pepper and some of your Italian seasoning
- Cook down all of the vegetables till onions become slightly caramelized. This can take up to about 20 minutes.
- Then add in 8 cups of your low sodium broth
- Add your 1 pound of dried Great Northern White Beans
- Add all of your DRIED seasonings
- Bring your pot to a boil and let the bean boil for 10 minutes uncovered
- Add your dashes of Tabasco
- Add in the remaining Italian Seasoning
- Cover your pot and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Be sure to keep checking on your beans stirring intermittently
- At the 45 minute mark, add in your cooked sausage
- You will notice some of the liquid had cooked down… you will need to add about 2 more cups of your broth.
- Assuming your beans are getting soft at the 45 minute mark, use the back of your spoon to mash about 10 of your beans with the back of your spoon on the inside of the pot and stir.
- Cover the pot and finish simmering, stirring intermittently.
- Taste your beans to see if they need a bit more salt, Italian seasoning, a couple more dashes of Tabasco or black pepper. Add your fresh chopped parsley and Tarragon at the end. Be sure to take out your Bay Leaves before serving.
As mentioned in my opening above, I serve my beans over riced cauliflower… but for those who are craving carbs, I like to serve this over brown rice. The brown rice has much more flavor than white rice and at least you get your whole grains from the brown rice.
This is a fabulous dish to serve when you have company coming over along with a side salad and my lemon ice box pie for dessert here at my blog! Enjoy!