Spicy Sausage and Bean Casserole

This recipe is a staple in our home, and, dare I say, it should be in yours too.  It's super cheap, makes a lot, and always comes out fantastic.  The casserole calls for ground pieces of bread, which are really just bread crumbs the last time I checked.  So, that's what I use.  I also use more red pepper than is called for...but more on my great love of spicy food later...

Also, our good friends are hosting a second Thanksgiving tomorrow!  Todd  cobbled together a mix of pretty sweet (and gigantic!!) beers for the party, so I'm pretty excited about that, too!

(Recipe adapted from Cooking Light).

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  chopped onion (about 1 medium)
• 1  (16-ounce) package spicy turkey sausage
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2  tablespoons  brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1/2  teaspoon  dried thyme
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3  (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  bay leaf
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper (optional) I like a lot!
• 1.5 cups breadcrumbs 
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and turkey sausage to pan; sauté for 5 minutes or until browned. Add garlic, and sauté for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 2 tablespoons brown sugar, tomato paste, dried thyme, freshly ground black pepper, cannellini beans, and bay leaf. Add ground red pepper, if desired. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over bean mixture, and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until browned. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.

Gratuitous Nutritional Information Below!

Nutritional Information

Calories:

205 (14% from fat)

Fat:

3.3g (sat 1.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.5g)

Protein:

12.1g

Carbohydrate:

30g

Fiber:

4.4g

Cholesterol:

25mg

Iron:

2.7mg

Sodium:

823mg

Calcium:

77mg