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This easy 30-minute meal is loaded with amazing flavors. It’s an Italian cannellini bean and sausage skillet recipe that the whole family will enjoy. Mild or sweet Italian sausage pairs with vegetables, white beans, tomatoes, cream, and more. Full of rustic Italian flavors, this dinner is easy, tasty and ready oh-so-fast! Served nice and hot with some crusty bread to mop up those wonderful juices, it makes the kind of dinner everyone will request again and again.
Grab your skillet and get ready for a wonderful flavor experience. Italian sausage, cannellini beans and more combine to make a quick, easy and very satisfying dinner.
If you enjoy simple skillet meals, you might also like this sausage and potato skillet, Baja chicken skillet with bell peppers, or a hearty cowboy beef and rice skillet.
Why You’ll Love It
Quick and easy to make: This tasty sausage and white bean skillet recipe can be made from scratch and on the dinner table in just half an hour. It’s really simple to prepare too.
It’s a one-pot recipe: You only need one skillet to make this, which means cleanup afterwards won’t take long.
Easy to find ingredients: All the ingredients are easy to find at just about any grocery store. You probably already have a lot of them already in your refrigerator and pantry.
White Bean Sausage Skillet Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Italian sausage: I used mild Italian sausage but you can use hot Italian sausage or sweet Italian sausage if you prefer.
Cannellini beans: These white beans offer plenty of protein and fiber as well as flavor. Not a fan? You can use a different kind of beans.
Fire-roasted tomatoes: The tomato taste goes well with the sausage and white beans, and fire-roasted tomatoes offer a hint of smoky flavor too.
Heavy whipping cream: For a creamy touch.
Chicken broth: Use any brand you like. I find this one to be tasty and great value!
Garlic: Always delicious in savory dishes. Go ahead and add extra if you want.
Olive oil: For sauteing. You can use avocado oil if you prefer, or canola oil or another variety.
How to Make Sausage with Cannellini Beans
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Brown the sausage: Brown the sausages in a skillet over a medium heat and then slice and set aside.
Cook the vegetables: Sauté the onions and cherry tomatoes for a few minutes.
Add more ingredients: Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook briefly, then add the broth, canned tomatoes and drained cannellini beans, and simmer the bean and tomato sauce for several minutes.
The finishing touches: Add the sausage back into the skillet, along with the cream, then cover for a few minutes, add more salt and pepper if needed, and serve garnished with parmesan and basil.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, ensure the Italian sausage is gluten-free along with the broth.
More vegetables: Add baby spinach, kale, asparagus, bell peppers, or mushrooms.
Ground Italian sausage: If you prefer this over link sausage, keep it in the skillet while you make the dish.
Make it Mediterranean: Add some sliced red onion, kalamata olives and crumbled feta cheese for a Mediterranean flair.
Use white wine: Swap some or all of the chicken stock or broth for white wine (and serve the rest with dinner!)
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Begin the meal with steak and mushroom bruschetta.
Side dishes: Pair it with Caesar or Caprese salad, garlic bread or crusty bread and butter. Roasted potatoes would also be good.
Dessert: Finish strong with chocolate chip muffins or one of these cupcake recipes.
How to Store Italian Sausage and White Beans
Store: Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Don’t freeze it because the cream will separate.
Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove with a splash of cream or chicken broth.
Top Tips
Smashing the beans: This is optional but thickens the dish. Use a fork to smash half the beans during cooking.
Safely cooked sausage: Check the sausage is 165°F in the middle before serving.
Make it freezable: Omit the cream (you can thicken the dish by smashing half the beans) and you can freeze it for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight before reheating.
Cannellini Bean Sausage Skillet FAQs
Yes, you can sub something else like chicken or pork or, for a vegetarian result, swap the sausage for extra beans and vegetables and the chicken broth for vegetable broth.
That’s up to you. I like to add red pepper flakes. A splash of hot sauce would work, or you could use hot Italian sausage for an extra kick!
Omit the red pepper flakes and sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese on top before serving. Oh, and sneak some finely chopped veggies in there too if you like!
Italian Bean and Sausage Skillet Recipe
Italian Cannellini Bean and Sausage Skillet
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Pound Italian sausage, mild
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 Cups cherry tomatoes, left whole
- 3 Cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- ½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ Teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ Teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ Cup chicken broth
- 1 Can diced tomatoes, fire-roasted, 14½ Ounce can
- 1 Can cannellini beans, 29 Ounce can, drained and rinsed
- ¼ Cup heavy whipping cream
- parmesan cheese, shredded, for serving
- fresh basil, chopped, for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage links and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Place the browned sausages on a cutting board and slice. Set aside. The sausage will not be cooked through yet.
- Add onions and cherry tomatoes, cook for 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent.
- Add garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Cook for an additional minute, or until garlic is fragrant.
- Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and beans. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Smash half of the beans with a fork as it cooks.
- Add heavy cream and cooked sausage to the skillet, stir to combine and cover. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the sausage is fully cooked and the sauce is thick and creamy. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve garnished with parmesan cheese and chopped basil.
Notes
Safely cooked sausage: Check the sausage is 165°F in the middle before serving.
Make it freezable: Omit the cream (you can thicken the dish by smashing half the beans) and you can freeze it for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
This Italian cannellini bean and sausage skillet is quick and easy to whip up and it’s a great choice for dinnertime. It’s a delicious recipe that’s family-friendly and brimming with delicious sweet and savory flavors. Paired with anything from crusty bread to roasted potatoes, this sausage and white bean recipe might become a new family favorite.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Loved this dish! It is packed with flavor and so comforting, too.
We really enjoyed this! Perfect for a fall or winter evening and super quick to make. Really filling and good as leftovers too