This sausage skillet is a quick dinner packed with crispy hot Italian sausage, sweet fennel, escarole, and plenty of creamy white beans.
I have a tendency to overcomplicate things. On one hand, it’s my own ambition: the desire to improve, achieve, accomplish—it’s not a bad thing. If I didn’t overcomplicate my life with a food blog, we wouldn’t be here right now!
But when that drive runs the show, it can throw everything out of whack. Like when it shows up at dinnertime and I feel like I have to keep raising the bar for what a “successful” meal looks like. Suddenly, feeding my kids isn’t enough unless… there are three colors of vegetables, a homemade pickle, sourdough bread that was made that morning with all 4 kids… insert whatever ridiculous qualifier.
It took having four kids under the age of six to finally learn that this thinking doesn’t serve anyone.
Dinner doesn’t have to be an insane production in order to do its job: a family together, eating literally anything.
If I want the joy and challenge of making homemade pasta for dinner—amazing. If I want to throw something together in 15 minutes, in one skillet—also amazing. That’s what this white bean skillet is: a quick, satisfying, easy dish I used to think was “cutting corners.” It’s not. It’s just a different kind of meal. And honestly, I love the simplicity.
Easy doesn’t mean boring. And it definitely doesn’t mean bad.
We brown crispy hot Italian sausage, then add layers of sweet, crunchy fennel and garlic. Sauté chopped escarole, then fold in the sausage and creamy white beans. Cook until everything’s warm and flavorful.
Spoon onto crunchy toast or into a bowl, top with a fried egg for extra protein, and most importantly—lean into the simplicity. Enjoy the beauty of an easy dinner.
P.S.
If you love sausage and fennel together (who doesn’t?), double the sausage, save it, and make this sausage fennel pizza next.
And if you want something a little brothier and more mild, try my beans and greens with pancetta and parmesan!
here's how to make these white beans and sausage:
Spicy White Bean and Sausage Skillet
This sausage skillet is a quick dinner packed with crispy hot Italian sausage, sweet fennel, escarole, and plenty of creamy white beans.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4- 6
- Category: One pan
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 lb hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 fennel bulb, diced, 2 tbsp fronds reserved
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 small head escarole, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- lemon wedges, for serving
- crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 8- 10 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
- Lower heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet along with fennel. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits from the pan, until softened and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add escarole, season with salt, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Return sausage to the skillet, add the beans, and sauté for about 5 minutes until beans are heated through and flavorful.
- Garnish with reserved fennel fronds. Serve hot with lemon wedges and crusty bread.
Notes
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ of recipe
- Calories: 430
- Sugar: 2.3g
- Sodium: 579mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 8.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 19.3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 6.7g
- Protein: 23g
- Cholesterol: 43mg
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