Gourmet Friday

It's been a little while since I posted a recipe and earlier this week we had a WONDERFUL meal, so here it is!

Tuscan White Bean and Sausage Stew

3/4 lb hot Italian sausage links                                       
2C chicken broth

2 medium carrots                                                           
4 garlic cloves, pressed

1 medium bulb fresh fennel                                           
2 cans (15oz or 540ml each) cannellini beans

1 can (14.5oz or 398ml) petite diced                             
1 pkg (18g) fresh basil

tomatoes, undrained

~Remove casings from sausage. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1/2 in nuggets.

~Place sausage in large pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

~As sausage cooks, peel carrots. Chop carrots and fennel; add to pot and cook additional 3-5 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables begin to brown.

~Stir tomatoes, broth and garlic into sausage mixture. Drain and rinse beans in small colander; add to pot.

~Simmer stew, uncovered, 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are tender. As stew simmers, chop basil. Remove pot from heat; stir in basil. Serve immediately.

Note: I used mild sausage since I don't like hot spicy things. I also only bought one can of cannellini beans by accident, so I substituted one can of red kidney beans. And finally, I used dried basil instead of fresh since I had that on hand. It turned out very well and we loved this meal. It will probably become a new staple for us. It was fast, flavorful and not expensive. I highly recommend it!