Recipe of the week: Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages and White Beans

I’m always craving something warm and hearty in the wintertime, and this recipe from Perfect One Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers by Pam Anderson (HMH) is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Cassoulet-Style Italian Sausages and White Beans

Serves 8

If there’s time, sprinkle buttered bread crumbs over each plated portion for a nice touch. Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Toss 2 cups fresh bread crumbs (made in the food processor from a good European-style loaf) with 2 tablespoons melted butter and a light sprinkling of salt. Add the crumbs to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Stored in the refrigerator and warmed on the stovetop or in the microwave, this dish means instant dinner later in the week.

Ingredients
2½ pounds sweet Italian sausage links
3 pints cherry tomatoes
1 medium-large onion, cut into 1½-inch chunks
4 large garlic cloves, sliced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons dried thyme
3 bay leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cans (about 16 ounces each) white beans, undrained

Instructions
Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix sausages, tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, thyme, bay leaves, and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper in a large heavy roasting pan. Set pan in oven and roast until sausages are brown and tomatoes have reduced to a thick sauce, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, stir in beans, and continue to cook until casserole has heated through, about 10 minutes longer. Serve.

Drink: An earthy, full-flavored Languedoc or Grenache

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Recipes from Perfect One Dish Dinners: All You Need for Easy Get-Togethers by Pam Anderson. Copyright © 2010 by Pam Anderson. Published in October 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Reprinted by permission.