Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew

Let me just say, this stew is like chili on steroids. I made this yesterday, during the Bears/Packers game. I'm a Bears fan, living in Wisconsin. It's rough. My roommates are Packers fans. So as I was making this in the kitchen I'd hear Lindsay scream "YES!" and I knew it was looking bad for the Bears. I was feeling pretty confident though yesterday so I may have made a few bets with people. As always, the deal consisted of food so now I owe 4 people dinner/cookies/muffins etc. The trick to making bets with people is to bet something that you would do anyways. Lindsay and I made a bet where I am going to make something chocolatey with her this week... would I do that anyways? Yup. My friend Liz and I made a bet on the game where the loser had to bake cookies for our next movie night. Would I do that anyways? Yup. So really did I lose much? Nope. However, if the Bears had won I would have gotten some pumpkin apple muffins from Lindsay which would have been awesome. But oh well, I'm stealing the recipe from her anyways so I can make them.

There's nothing better than sitting in sweatpants on a Sunday afternoon, watching football, making bets, and eating this stew. It's so hearty and filling. I love it. I topped it with some parmesan cheese and ate it with ciabatta bread. Pure heaven. And do you want to know the best thing about this stew? It's ready in 30 minutes. Seriously, that's reason enough to make it. I have a feeling this will be made in my house several times this fall. It's the perfect meal to share with friends... even if they're Packers fans.

Ingredients:
12 ounces sweet Italian sausage (lump, or about 4 links with casings removed)
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (19 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp Italian herb mix (can substitute with oregano or basil)
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
parmesan cheese, shredded, for topping

Directions:
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Coat the pan with olive oil. Add in the diced green bell pepper and onion. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add in the minced garlic and stir constantly to make sure the garlic doesn't burn. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the lump sausage into the pan and cook for about 8 minutes, or until the sausage is crumbly and browned. Add beans and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Sprinkle in the oregano, basil, Italian herb mix, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the stew is heated through. Pour into bowls and top with parmesan cheese. Serve with ciabatta bread.

Serves 3-4 people.

Source: Recipe from A Dash of Sass