Italian Sausage and White Beans is a hearty, flavorful Italian sausage and white bean stew perfect for a cool winter or spring evening.
Yesterday afternoon about 5:00 I still had no idea what I was going to cook for dinner. Does that ever happen to you? You know you need to get something started, but you just can’t figure out what.
So, I just went to the fridge and pantry and started pulling out things that I thought would go together. I had a package of Italian sausage that I needed to use, and there were two cans of Great Northern beans in the pantry just begging to be cooked. I grabbed a can of tomatoes, some onions, and garlic and got to work.
What resulted was a very flavorful, comforting dinner for a cool evening by the fire. All we needed to make a meal with this was a tossed salad and some garlic bread.
Now, I know that some combination of Italian sausage with white beans and tomatoes has probably been made thousands of times by different cooks, and I’m sure that my version may not even be so authentically Italian. Regardless, it’s a delicious recipe that your whole family is bound to enjoy.
Why I Love This Recipe
- It’s quick! You’ll need no more than 10 minutes of prep time.
- The clean-up is easy because it cooks in one pan.
- The recipe is very versatile. Make it your own by varying the sausage and type of beans.
Ingredient Notes
- Italian Sausage – We prefer mild sausage, but “hot” Italian sausages are available. Turkey Italian sausage is also great in this recipe.
- Canned White Beans – Use any white beans you like, such as Cannellini or Great Northern.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Italian Sausage and White Beans
You start by heating some olive oil in a deep-sided pan. I use my chicken fryer because I can complete the whole recipe in that one pan. Just be sure to use something that all the sausages can fit into in a single layer.
Add your Italian sausages and cook them, turning frequently until they’re nice and browned. Remove the sausages to a plate and put them aside until later.
To make this recipe lower in fat, you can use turkey Italian sausages. I buy them often and honestly we like them just as well as the pork ones.
In the same skillet, without cleaning it, add the onions, garlic, and sweet peppers and cook until they are tender and beginning to color just slightly.
If you need to add more olive oil you can, but here’s a trick that I often use. Instead of more oil, I add a few tablespoons of water, cover the pan and let the veggies steam. The water also loosens all the nice brown bits from the bottom of the pan while steaming the vegetables.
After the vegetables are tender and the water has evaporated, remove the lid of the pan and continue browning for a few minutes.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the pan – tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasonings, wine, and beans. Stir everything to combine. Return the sausages, along with any accumulated juices, to the pan nestling them down into the bean and tomato mixture.
Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the sausages and beans are cooked through – about 25-30 minutes. Serve with a tossed green salad and garlic bread.
Have a question or thought to share?
If you have a question about the recipe or if you’ve made it and want to share how it turned out, I would truly enjoy hearing from you. Just scroll down to leave a comment or add your star rating.
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Recipe
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Italian Sausage and White Beans
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 19 ounces Italian sausage links (mild, medium or hot)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium sweet red or green pepper
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with their juice
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 30 ounces canned white beans such as Cannellini or Great Northern, drained and rinsed (2 cans)
- ½ cup white wine or water or chicken stock
Instructions
- In a deep-sided skillet (such as a chicken fryer), heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add the sausages and cook, turning occasionally until well browned on all sides. Remove the sausages to a plate and hold until later.19 ounces Italian sausage links
- Add the onion, garlic and sweet pepper to the skillet. Cook until the vegetables are tender and beginning to take on a little color.1 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 medium sweet red or green pepper
- Add all of the remaining ingredients to the pan. Stir well to combine.14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes with their juice, 8 ounces tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 30 ounces canned white beans, ½ cup white wine
- Return the sausages to the pan nestling them down into the bean and tomato mixture. Be sure to add any juices collected on the plate with sausages.
- Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until the sausages and beans are cooked through.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
The photo shows five sausages but the recipe calls for four..???
Italian sausage generally comes in packs of either 4, 5, or 6. Any of those will work. It doesn’t make any difference to the recipe result.
I prepared this dish last evening and it was a big hit. It was fun putting it all together. Thank you for offering this recipe. It will be in my Sunday evening rotation along with pasta dishes & pasta fazool.
I’ve made this before from a different recipe. I won’t be using that other recipe again as this one is much better. Great recipe and easy to follow. Delicious. Thanks.
Thanks Joe! I’m glad to know you like the recipe.
I cook at a facility, I pulled the Italian Sausage and White Beans recipe off the internet prepared it for lunch. The staff and my clients LOVED this dish so much they requested the leftovers for dinner. Thank you
This comment makes me so happy! You’ve made my whole day :-)
The best Sausage dish; the Cannellini beans are both very nutritious and delicious!
Great for a cold, snowy day isn’t it??
Delicious and so tasty. Used kidney beans as I didn’t have the white beans.
Could I use cooked ground sauage instead of links?
Thanks, Jan
I suppose you could. It would be quite a different recipe then but probably still very good.
This recipe looks great. Question, could this recipe be made using a slow cooker. I anxiously look forward to your response. Thanks…..
Yes, you could make this in a slow cooker. No problem.
Was so great! My husband loved it and asked me to please make it again : )