Sausage and White Bean Skillet with Kale and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
One skillet, 25 minutes, and it tastes like it simmered for hours. Italian chicken sausage, cannellini beans, kale, and sun-dried tomatoes all cook down together into something that's part stew, part sauté, and solid enough to call dinner. The sun-dried tomatoes do something sneaky here; they rehydrate slightly in the pan juices and release this concentrated, almost sweet tomato flavor that makes the whole dish taste deeper than the sum of its parts. This is one of those weeknight dinners where leftovers get better overnight, which is saying something.
- PRO
- GF
- DF
- ≤30
- 1-PAN
- PREP
Estimated macros per serving
Calories ~330 · Protein ~23g · Carbs ~24g · Fat ~15g
Ingredients
For the skillet:
- 4 pre-cooked Italian chicken sausage links (about 12 ounces total), sliced into ½-inch rounds (look for "fully cooked" on the label; most retail brands such as Aidells and Al Fresco are pre-cooked — check that the label shows no wheat fillers if you need this gluten-free)
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves roughly chopped (about 5 cups)
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed), drained and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage rounds in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Flip and cook another 2 minutes. You want real color here, not just cooked-through sausage.
- Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cannellini beans. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes, letting the beans warm through and start to absorb the flavors.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the kale in handfuls, tossing with tongs. It will seem like too much kale — it isn't. It wilts down dramatically in about 2–3 minutes. The kale should be tender but still have a slight bite, not army-green and limp.
- Stir in the red wine vinegar. Taste, adjust salt and pepper, and serve straight from the skillet.
Variations & Notes
- Vegan Swap: Replace the chicken sausage with a plant-based Italian sausage (Field Roast or similar), or use 2 cups of sliced cremini mushrooms seared until deeply browned. Use vegetable broth.
- Paleo-Friendly Adjustment: Swap the cannellini beans for diced roasted sweet potato or parsnips. Use a sugar-free chicken sausage.
- Extra Hungry: Serve over a heap of polenta, farro, or crusty whole grain bread for dipping into the pan juices.
- Substitutions: Curly kale works: just chop it finer and cook it a minute longer. Great northern beans or chickpeas sub in easily. Turkey sausage or pork sausage are both fine.
- Storage: Keeps in the fridge for 4 days and actually improves overnight. Reheats well in a skillet with a splash of broth. Freezes for up to 2 months.