Monday, February 25, 2019

One Pot Mediterranean Sausage, Rice, and Beans

After working from home all day with hair & make-up done, and wearing a lovely sweater, I've still got PJ pants on the bottom and I wasn't about to leave the house. (The perks of working from home and having video only on the top half!) So ... to the fridge and pantry for dinner I went.

I had all these ingredients in my house. I can't stress how important it is to have a solid pantry and freezer full of ingredients you can use at a moment's notice. Everyone enjoyed this recipe, so here I am recording it for future use. It was SO easy and came together super fast. Clean up was easy, too (or so I hear from my 16 year old!).

----------------------------------
ONE POT MEDITERRANEAN SAUSAGE, RICE, AND BEANS (Gluten free)

Ingredients:

4 T olive oil, plus more for drizzling when serving
2 packages spinach and feta chicken sausage (total of 8 links)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried pepper flakes (or to your taste)
1 package frozen organic chopped spinach
1 15-oz can organic cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can organic petite diced tomatoes (my can had no salt added)
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade, please)
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Slice sausages into bite-sized discs and add to pot. Add garlic and pepper flakes and stir for about 10-20 seconds or until the garlic becomes fragrant. Toss in frozen spinach and stir well, crunching apart the bigger frozen chunks.

2. Meanwhile, open the beans and rinse. Pour into pot. Open tomatoes and pour into the pot. Add rice. Stir well. Add chicken broth, oregano, and about 1 tsp of salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix well.

3. Bring mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is completely tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir well from the bottom of the pot. Adjust seasoning. Portion into serving bowls and drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon olive oil on top to serve. Top with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.