Secret love: SAUSAGE

That wasn't a dirty joke - it's the truth. And although I'm an aspiring vegetarian, we have a lot of sausage stored up in our freezer that we do have to use up eventually (thanks to Mr. Daniel, non-chef).

I took a mental health day this week, and I spent most of my free time thinking about dinner. (Fine, I usually spend most of my time thinking about dinner. At home or at work.) We had a can of beans and sausage to use up, so I thought about doing some type of sausage and bean stew. Here's what happened:

Faux Italian sausage and bean stew:
olive oil
salt
pepper
basil
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped (LOVE)
1/2 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can Canellini beans, rinsed (I like Progresso's)
4-5 spicy Italian sausages (or you can try sweet, too), cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1/2 bag of baby spinach

Directions:

Use a large, flat saucepan, or a wok (I use a wok for everything)
Heat up the saucepan and add olive oil
Once hot, add the onions and garlic, and let them simmer for 3-4 minutes
Add the sausage pieces and cook until browned (but don't overcook!)
Add the beans, stir, and let them sit with the sausage for about 5 minutes
Add the crushed tomatoes, stir until everything is covered, and let this stew for about 10-15 minutes on a lower heat. Cover it if you have a lid.
Add the spinach a little at a time, mixing it in and adding more as it cooks down. After you've added it all, let it cook for another 5 minutes.
Add seasonings as desired, remove from heat and serve. MANGIATE!

WARNING: this is really good as leftovers - actually better.