Sausage and Bean Casserole
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- Prep Time 45 minutes
- Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield Serves 8
Ingredients
- 12 slices white sandwich bread
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 2 packages (1 pound each) smoked Polish sausage, halved lengthwise, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cans (14.5 ounces each) Great Northern or cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
Directions
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In a food processor, pulse bread until large crumbs form (you should have about 6 cups); season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 6-quart heavy-bottom saucepan, cook sausage, onions, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and sausage is starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
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Add tomato paste, broth, wine, thyme, and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; add beans. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened but still soupy, about 10 minutes.
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Stir in 2 cups of the breadcrumbs. Divide sausage mixture between two 3-quart shallow baking dishes or eight 10-ounce ramekins. Top with remaining breadcrumbs.
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Bake, on a baking sheet, until topping is golden, 30 minutes.
Cook's Note
To freeze the casserole, prepare the recipe through step 4; cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap (label and date), and freeze up to three months.
To cook frozen casserole: Bake without thawing in an oven heated to 375 degrees, covered with foil, until bubbly and hot in the center, about 1 hour. Remove foil; continue baking until breadcrumbs are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
This recipe was one of the worst I have made. It tasted like eating hot dog soup with ketchup. If you are going to try it I recommend adding in some vegetables and going a little light on the tomato paste.
When you freeze this casserole, does the baking time/temp change?
I love this dish and have made variations on the theme again and again. I add a defrosted frozen winter squash and extra vegetables to it to make a complete meal. Always a hit! Thanks. See my changes on http://katatethat.blogspot.com/
Very good flavors in a simple and economic dish.
My one complaint is too much bread. Will make again with about half of the bread.
I love all the garlic.
This makes wonderful soup! Leave out the bread crumbs. Add more broth. I halved the recipe for my husband and me. It's great for a cold night.
Made this for me and my fiance for dinner last night and we both loved it! I cut the recipe in half, since it looked like it made so much - glad I did that for the two of us. Made a green salad to go with it - super simple, yummy fall dinner.
A lot of work for franks and beans. Even my husband who'll eat pretty much anything didn't like it. Not worth it.
Saved!!!!!
sandygluck, thank you very much for that idea... I will definitely try it!
We loved this! Hubb and the kids asked for seconcs, and it was fine because this recipe makes a TON! Perfect with a salad!
I cut the sausage into bite size pcs, used whole wheat bread and added a couple of shots of tabasco, but those were the only changes I made. Enjoy!
Texy,
I'm so sorry you didn't enjoy this -it's a riff on a French meat and bean dish called cassoulet. I do have a suggestion for the frozen dish. If you place the contents in a pot, add enough broth and/or water to turn it into a soup like consistency, you might be pleasantly surprised.
We did not care for this recipe at all. I used only 8 slices of bread, and still felt that the breadcrumbs were VERY overpowering. Now, what to do with the remaining frozen dish...