Winter Chill: EASY Sausage & White Bean Cassoulet

I love a cassoulet. Who doesn't.

Every winter I try a new version. Sometimes w/ duck legs and Toulouse sausages (when I can find the stuff) making it an all day affair, and sometimes w/ Italian garlic sausage and chicken thighs. It's all good.

White beans with herbs, tomatoes and some sort of pork and poultry, how can you go wrong?

Here is Julie's version of a quick weeknight cassoulet.

You can add toasted breadcrumbs on the top to make it more authentic, but we ate it with a good loaf of bread and butter instead.

I always make a point to say (and I will do it again now) buy GOOD QUALITY SAUSAGES.

You know, the kind that a butcher makes, not a supermarket shrink wrapped factory package.
Your market may have an in-house butcher who has his own recipe for sausage, but I doubt it.

I am lucky enough to live in an area with a ton of good Italian, Polish and German butchers, all of them making at least 4 different types of sausages (by the way, please don't correct me, it is proper to say "sausages" or "sausage" when referring to the plural of sausage).

Make this tonight, your house will smell SO GOOD.

Easy Sausage & White Bean Cassoulet (adapted from Sweet Sugar Bean & Dinner w/ Julie):

6 good quality sausage links
1 onion, cut into wedges
pint of cherry tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, smashed
handful of fresh thyme sprigs
kosher salt & pepper
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
2 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup white wine or chicken stock

In a cast iron skillet, lay the tomatoes, onion wedges and smashed garlic on the bottom of the pan.

Next, lay the sausages on top and drizzle everything w/ olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Season w/ kosher salt & pepper.

Cook in preheated 425F oven for 25 minutes until the sausages look done, and the tomatoes are bursting.
Add in the beans and mix together.

Add in the wine or stock and place back in the oven for 15 more minutes.

DELICIOUS!

Enjoy!