This easy gratin casserole with sausage, bean, greens, and cheese can be made as a skillet dinner or as individual ramekins for easy serving. It's a healthy, inexpensive, and delicious real food recipe you can easily make vegetarian.
1poundbulk Italian sausagespicy, turkey, chicken, pork - your choice*
1medium onionchopped
3clovesgarlicminced
3cupscooked white beans= 2 cans - or any bean you have
1 14-ouncecan diced tomatoes
1/3cupwater or chicken broth
1/2teaspoondried basil
1/2teaspoondried oregano
1/2teaspoondried thyme
1/2teaspoonsaltor to taste
1/2teaspoonblack pepperor to taste
Cayenne pepper to tasteomit if using spicy sausage
3cupschopped kalespinach or chard
1 1/2cupsgrated cheese like mozzarellafontina, cheddar, or parmesan
Instructions
Brown sausage in a large skillet (use cast iron or other 0ven-proof skillet if making as a skillet dinner) over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is softened.
Add beans, water or broth, tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. If it seems dry, add more water/broth at this point and taste for seasoning with salt and pepper.
Turn heat up to medium and add greens. If using spinach, cook only until the spinach wilts; if using kale or chard, cook until tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Preheat broiler and set rack a few inches below.
For Skillet: Top mixture with cheese and place skillet on rack, broiling until cheese is brown and bubbly (about 3 minutes).
For Ramekins: Divide the mixture between 6 one-cup ramekins and top each with about 1/4-cup of cheese. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and broil a few inches from the heat until the cheese is melted and browned.
Serve immediately with bread to sop up all the lovely juices.
Notes
*This is easy to make meatless, by the way- just leave out the sausage and cook the onion in butter or olive oil before proceeding with the recipe. It will probably only make 4 servings unless you add more beans, though.