Beans with Smoked Sausages

This hearty and flavoursome Beans with Smoked Sausages dish combines the earthy richness of beans with the savoury indulgence of smoked sausages, creating a symphony of taste that’s perfect for lunch or dinner. This recipe is very easy but it might take more time to get your meal ready… it all depends whether you choose to use canned beans or dry beans.

Ingredients

500 g beans (canned or dry), I used great northern beans but you can also use red kidney beans, large lima beans or others
3 bay leaves
600 g smoked sausages (you can also use fresh Italian sausages or a mix of smoked and fresh sausages)
2 onions
2 carrots
500 ml crushed tomatoes
3-4 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
Freshly chopped parsley

Directions

Using Dried Beans

Soak the dried beans in water overnight or for at least 4-6 hours. Rinse them thoroughly before cooking.

In a large pot, add the soaked beans, bay leaves, and enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 1-2 hours or until the beans are tender but not mushy. About 15 minutes before the beans are cooked add 1 tablespoon of salt to the pot. Then, remove the bay leaves and drain any excess water.

Using Canned Beans

If using canned beans, rinse and drain them before cooking.

Making the Beans with Smoked Sausages

In the meantime, cut the smoked sausages in bite-sized pieces. Heat the oil in a pan and fry sausages until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Finely chop the onions and carrots. In the same frying pan cook the onions until translucent. Add the carrots and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Add the crushed tomatoes and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and cook stirring for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and return the sausages to the pan.