J – I love spicy sausage.
I would eat it straight … if I could say I was being mindful. But, I can’t say that. Too much of a good thing is, well, too much. So, I invented this dish. I’m sure I’ve seen many protein + white bean recipes out there, so I’m not claiming originality.
I just really like it. And, it’s fast!
Yes, some ingredients are out of a can. If you’re a purist, you could do your own white beans from scratch. Or, make your own tomato sauce. I’m not a purist. And, no, I’m not using our Easy Tomato Sauce recipe.
It’s really good. But, in this case, it’s just a bit too much of a sauce.
I want the tomato sauce to play a supporting role to the white beans and the sausage.
Then, there’s Christina’s friend Kale. Kale is such a great companion for the white beans and tomato sauce. Taken together, they all let the sausage stand out as the star.
| Spicy Sausage with White Beans and Kale |
- ¼ pound bacon, cut as lardon cubes
- 1 Cajun andouille sausage, fully cooked, cut in half
- 2 chicken-parmesan sausages, fully cooked
- 2 14.5 ounce cans, fire-roasted, diced tomatoes, juice drained and reserved
- 2 14.5 ounce cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ a medium yellow onion, small dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 2 cups low-salt chicken stock
- 1½ tsp Cajun spice mix
- Salt and fresh black pepper to taste
- ¾ bunch red kale. More if you’re feeling healthy
- 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
- Remove kale leaves from stems. Tear leaves into chunks.
- Heat salted blanching water for kale. Blanch kale for about a minute. Drain and set aside.
- In a large saute pan, cook bacon cubes. Set aside. Reserve bacon fat, leaving 1 tablespoon in the pan.
- Saute onion on medium until transparent. Add garlic, mix well and saute until onion begins to turn brown.
- Add red wine and reduce until wine is gone. Add reserved tomato juices and spices. Reduce slightly.
- Add chicken stock and reduce by ¾ on high heat.
- Add diced tomatoes and the reserved bacon pieces. Mix will and reduce heat to low to warm the tomatoes thoroughly.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat grill or flat-top to medium high.
- Brush sausages with reserved bacon fat. Heat on grill, turning as they begin to char slightly.
- Add white beans to the sauce. Turn heat to medium to heat sauce through. DO NOT boil.
- Remove sausages and slice into 1” chunks.
- Place servings of kale in individual bowls.
- Add white bean/tomato sauce on top of kale.
- Add chunks of sausage, dividing evenly between andouille and chicken-apple pieces.
- Top with chopped parsley.
- Enjoy!
There’s another wonderful benefit to this dish. The best one. I get to eat big chunks of spicy sausage and feel reasonably mindful of my health.
Got to love that!