This Sausage White Bean and Kale Skillet is the perfect quick and healthy weeknight dinner. Make a comforting family meal in just 30 minutes.
One-pot
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: How to pack protein, fiber, and veggies all into one pot
Worth It: It’s a satisfying, protein-forward option that actually keeps you full
Bonus: Leftovers work well on their own or combined with other leftovers
Why You’ll Love this recipe
- Weeknight eating – This dish comes together in a total time of about 30 minutes with very little prep time, so it is great for any weeknight dinner.
- One pan meal – For this sausage skillet, you cook everything in one pan to make clean up a total breeze.
- Cozy, protein packed dinner – So often my go to cozy meals make it a little more difficult to be high protein, but this meal is packed with protein and fiber!
Serving Suggestions
I got this inspiration for this skillet meal from my dad. If you follow me on Instagram, you might know him as Dad About Food. He is a wonderful cook and is really good at throwing meals together.
His favorite ingredient to use in a throw together dinner is canned beans. I used to think it was so odd to add beans to a meal with meat, but it is THE MOVE. They add extra fiber, protein, texture and flavor.
You can serve this sausage skillet on its own or on top of pasta, rice, or cauliflower rice. I first enjoyed this skillet by itself then served leftovers on a bed of penne for a sausage pasta. Top with cheese and red pepper flakes and enjoy!. This dish would also be amazing over some mashed red potatoes.
This sausage skillet has kale in it already, but I love adding extra greens to my meal with some air fryer asparagus, air fryer brussels sprouts, or green beans almondine.
If you love these flavors, be sure to check out my sausage kale and white bean soup for the soup version of this dish!
Ingredients
- Hot Italian Sausage – I love the kick of hot Italian sausage in this recipe. You could also use andouille sausage, which will give a smoked sausage flavor.
- Tomato puree or sauce (not pasta sauce) – you just want tomato puree for this recipe, so you can control the amount of spices going into the recipe
- Fresh kale – I use lacinto kale, because it gets so tender as this sausage skillet is simmering
- Garlic – I used four gloves of garlic, but feel free to use however much your heart desires. If you use a different sausage, just be aware of the amount of garlic in the sausage!
- Oil – I used olive oil, but you can use whatever oil you would like
- Cannellini beans (or any other white beans) – I love using cannellini beans in these kinds of dishes because they hold onto their amazing creamy texture as you cook
- Dried oregano and dried basil – I use the dried herbs here to keep this recipe simple, but you can always use chopped fresh herbs
- Salt and pepper – I use salt and pepper as the base for the seasoning in this recipe. I recommend only using a little to start because you can always season to taste at the end.
Ingredient Substitutions
In place of the hot sausage, you could use sweet if you do not like spice. Turkey sausage would also be delicious.
For the kale, you could also use swiss chard, collard greens, or spinach.
If you would like, you could add in more veggies, like yellow onion or bell pepper. Red peppers are a great addition.
If you don’t have dried oregano and basil, you could use an Italian seasoning blend, which would add some rosemary and thyme to the mix!
When adding things to this skillet, you might want a bit more liquid, so you can add a bit of chicken broth.
How to Make
Step 1: Sear Sausage
First, preheat oven to 350F. Drain and rinse can of white beans, open the can of tomato sauce, and mince the garlic. Then, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
When skillet is hot, add sausage to the skillet and sear on all sides flipping every 2 minutes for 8 minutes total. Then, remove the sausage from the skillet and the skillet from heat.
Step 2: Mix in other ingredients
Allow the skillet to cool slightly, then return to low heat and add the oil garlic, and seasonings to the pan. Allow them to cook for about 1 minute while you stir constantly.
Then, pour the tomato sauce, beans, and 2 large handfuls of kale to the skillet and toss with tongs to combine evenly. Make sure the kale gets coated in the tomato sauce.
Step 3: Bake it all together
Next, add the sausage links back to the skillet and place the skillet in the oven.
Finally, bake the whole skillet at 350F for 20 minutes or until the sausages are fully cooked through (internal temp of 165F).
Remove the skillet from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and enjoy.
Step 4: Enjoy!
Storage and reheating
Once prepared, allow this dish to cool completely. Place in an airtight container to store. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Check Out These Other Delicious Skillet Meals
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Sausage White Bean and Kale Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 hot Italian pork sausages
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt you can add more to taste once the dish is done
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 15 oz can of tomato sauce or tomato puree not pasta sauce
- 15 oz can of cannellini beans or any white bean
- 2 large handfuls of fresh kale leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Drain and rinse can of white beans, open the can of tomato sauce, and mince the garlic
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat
- When skillet is hot, add sausage to the skillet and sear on all sides flipping every 2 minutes for 8 minutes total
- Remove the sausage from the skillet and the skillet from heat
- Allow the skillet to cool slightly then return to low heat and add the oil garlic and seasonings to the pan
- Allow them to cook for about 1 minute stirring constantly
- Pour the tomato sauce, beans, and 2 large handfuls of kale to the skillet and toss with tongs to combine evenly – make sure the kale gets coated in the tomato sauce
- Add the sausage links back to the skillet and place the skillet in the oven
- Bake the whole skillet at 350F for 20 minutes or until the sausages are fully cooked through (internal temp of 165F)
- Remove the skillet from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and enjoy
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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