Sausage & White Bean Cassoulet

This was a leftover we pulled out of the freezer. Matt is still down with a bad cough & cold. These soups & strews seem to be the most appealing thing to him right now. This froze & reheated well except the white beans pretty much turned to mush, the lima beans (a surprising addition to this cassoulet) though held their texture nicely.


1 T olive oil
1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage
1 lb kielbasa, cut into 1/2 inch slices
3 leeks, white & pale green parts only, sliced
3 cloved garlic, minced
1 apple, peeled & chopped
1 T fresh rosemary or 1/2 t dried
1 t dried sage
1 bay leaf
1 c (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
2 or 3 drops Tabasco sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) great northern beans, drained & rinsed
10 oz frozen baby lima beans, rinsed
1 1/2 c chicken stock or broth
2 T tomato paste
pepper
1/4 c chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 350. In a dutch oven over medium heat, warm oil. Add whole Italian sausages and brown for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Add kielbasa and brown both sausages about 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate and slice Italian sausage into 1/2 inch rounds. Add leeks & garlic to the same pan & sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add apple, rosemary, sage and bay leaf. Stir in tomatoes, Tabasco sauce, beans, stock, and tomato paste. Season with pepper.
Bake covered, about 1 hour. Remove lid and stir in parsley. Bake, uncovers, 15 minutes longer. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Serves 6 to 8

Recipe from The Big Book of Soups & Stews: Maryana Vollstedt