White Bean Cassoulet

By zboni

Ingredients

• Spinach Pesto:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 1 herb bouquet tied with kitchen string: 4 stems fresh rosemary, 8 stems fresh oregano, 10 stems fresh thyme
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 2 cans cannellini beans, or 3 cups prepared white beans
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 4 links spicy cooked chicken Italian sausage, sliced, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup Spinach Pesto, recipe follows
• Garlic-Parmesan Crostini, recipe follows
• 1/2 pound spinach leaves
• 5 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh white pepper
• Garlic Parmesan Crostini:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 French style baguette, cut into 24 (1/2-inch thick) slices
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oil in a medium stock pot. Add the vegetables to the oil, stir frequently, and cook until lightly brown around the edges. Add remaining ingredients, except sausage, 1 at a time. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir in sausage and allow to cook for 10 more minutes. Place in bowls, spoon 1 tablespoon of pesto and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sausage into each bowl. Serve with Garlic-Parmesan Crostini.

Sauted Italian Sausage:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the sausage with salt, to taste, and carefully place in a single layer across the skillet. Cook the sausage for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Turn the sausages and repeat on opposite side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch slices.

Spinach Pesto:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Garlic Parmesan Crostini:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a small skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Remove from heat. Brush the garlic oil on the top and bottom of each slice of bread. Place the bread in a single layer over a sheet pan. Sprinkle each slice with parmesan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes on the middle oven rack until bread browns over the top. Serve.