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Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole is a wonderful, hearty and comforting one pan stew that your family will enjoy over and over.  This truly is a 30 minute stove top casserole meal, just add the crusty bread for mopping.

A closeup of the sausages nestled in the beans and tomato sauce

Busy weeknights are back, as it’s back to school season. This is a stovetop casserole (casseruola in Italy or cassoulet if you’re in France) or an Italian sausage stew with simple ingredients. 

You can cook this casserole ahead and reheat easily. It comes with my guarantee that your whole family will love it, AND makes even better leftovers.

Italian sausage and beans from overhead

Best Italian sausage for casseroles

I like to use sweet Italian sausages, this offsets any spice in the sauce. You can also use spicy Italian sausage and adjust the spice level of the sauce to your liking or even a plain, mild Italian sausage.

Sauce spice level

The sauce has a little or as much spice that you want to add from red pepper flakes. This is offset by using sweet sausage. You can also use spicy Italian sausage to kick up the spice a little more, just be mindful of the sauce spice.

Classic Italian Dishes

I love to cook Italian meals of this type with beans like Tuscan Bean Soup and Warm Tuscan Bean Crostini with Crispy Kale (< click text for links) and this is a typical meal that you would find in Tuscany and beans play a huge part in the cuisine of this region.

Lentils are another staple of the region as well as Sicily. Some other lentil recipes of mine include Lentil Soup with Winter Vegetables and Sicilian Lentil Pasta.

A round white serving bowl with sausage and beans with 2 bowls and forks

Sweet Italian sausages are so good on their own, as a topping on pizza, served simply in a bun with peppers and onions and even better when cooked with cannellini beans in a tomato and rosemary sauce.

Chefs tip

Because there are delicious spices in the sausages, I like to cook them first in the same pan which gives extra flavor to the sauce.

Canned beans hold up very well in this dish because they are added to the sauce at the end so there is no need for any long cooking times.

There is wine in this recipe, but it can be omitted if you’re serving to children, just replace with chicken stock.

Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole in the Slow Cooker

This dish would be perfect to make in the slow cooker. You will need to use dried beans as canned will fall apart and they will need to be soaked overnight and cooked before adding to the slow cooker. Brown the sausage as in step 1, then put everything into the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.

Yield: 4 servings

Italian Sausage and Bean Casserole

A round serving plate of Italian sausage and beans in a tomato sauce

Sweet Italian sausage is cooked with cannellini beans, in a tomato rosemary, wine sauce.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 sweet or spicy Italian sausages
  • 1 cup (128 grams) yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup (118 ml) red wine (substitute chicken stock for children)
  • Small pinch red pepper flakes, more if you like it spicier
  • 3 cups/24 ounces (700 grams) canned, diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
  • 30 ounces (878 grams) canned cannellini/white kidney beans, drained (or dried if making in the slow cooker)

Instructions

  1. To make on the stovetop:
  2. To a braising pan or high-sided skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Brown the sausages about 3 minutes per side until brown (they don't have to be cooked through) remove from the pan.
  3. To the same pan, add the onions (add more oil if needed) and cook until they start to soften. Add garlic and rosemary, stir and cook for 1 minute do not allow to brown. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes stir to combine. Add the wine and stir well, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the tomatoes break down and get saucy.
  5. Add the beans and stir to mix well. Nestle the sausages into the beans and simmer for a further 10 minutes, covered.
  6. To make in the slow cooker:
  7. Soak dried beans overnight in water. Brown the sausage as in step 1, then put everything into the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.

Notes

You will need to use dried beans as canned will fall apart and they will need to be soaked overnight before cooking. Brown the sausage as in step 1, then put everything into the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 635Total Fat 45gSaturated Fat 18gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 86mgSodium 437mgCarbohydrates 47gNet Carbohydrates 0gSugar Alcohols 0gProtein 18g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: Italian / Category: Dinner Ideas