A quick and easy Italian sausage spaghetti sauce works beautifully with white beans as well as pasta. And it’s a great way to lower the carb content and up the protein of the dish without sacrificing flavor. You can either cook the beans from scratch on the stove (we’re using a Tuscan approach found in Saveur Magazine), cook them in a pressure cooker, or use canned beans. By the way, you know how they always say to “rinse and drain” the beans if using canned beans? That’s only because if the cans have been on the shelf for a while they can sometimes absorb a metallic flavor from the can. But if your can of beans is freshly bought, this may not be the case, and there can be plenty of flavor in the bean soaking water. So, taste! If the bean water tastes good, use it. If not, don’t.
1 pound dried cannellini beans
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 to 5 sage leaves
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 teaspoons kosher salt
4 black peppercorns
Ingredients for Canned Beans Method:
4 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds sweet italian sausage
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 to 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup tomato puree
Salt (about 2 teaspoons) and freshly ground black pepper
