(38) Sausage and Bean Casserole

I was a little off in my timing of this recipe - this is an AWESOME hearty meal and would be great on a cold winter night. Oops! It was 94 degrees here in FL today! Oh well, we enjoyed it just the same! Very easy to make and it goes right in the oven in the pan that you use on the stove. I like that!! I was concerned about the bread, but it was great/necessary. DONT use dried breadcrumbs!! The soft bread almost gives the topping a cheesy like feeling. This one's a keeper!

I should also mention that this did NOT make 8 servings. I measured it out with my handy-dandy measuring cup and it made 6 servings exactly!!

PS: I can't vouch for how this tastes with the bay leaf. I'd rather eat dirt!!

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Sausage and Bean Casserole

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Source: Cooking Light Magazine, November 2007

Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 (16-ounce) package light smoked turkey sausage (such as Hillshire Farm), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
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)
3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

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.

Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups.

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.

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