Do you have to soak cannellini beans before cooking?

How to prepare cannellini beans. Canned beans just need to be drained and rinsed, then they're ready to use. For dried beans, soak them in lots of cold water for a minimum of 5 hours (they'll expand, so make sure your bowl is big).

What happens if you don't rinse cannellini beans?

Canned beans are packed in a solution of water, salt, and starch. That solution can leave a glossy film on the beans, interfering with not only mouthfeel (slimy beans are a little off-putting), but also the ability of the beans to cling to other ingredients in the dish and absorb those flavors.

Do canned cannellini beans need to be cooked?

Since they are already cooked , you just need to heat them up, which takes all but 5-minutes. Add a few flavor enhancers and dinner is served! Drain and rinse the beans (remember, that's optional).

Roasted Sausage, Swiss Chard & Cannellini Beans Recipe on Food52 (2024)

One-Pot Wonders

by: EmilyC

April17,2015

4.6

25 Ratings

Roasted Sausage, Swiss Chard & Cannellini Beans Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Serves 4

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Are you always on the lookout for quick and easy weeknight dinners that you feel good about feeding yourself and your family? So am I. I’m wishing I’d come up with this sooner: It’s crazy simple and really good. —EmilyC

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: EmilyC is an environmental scientist with a knack for beautiful vegetable dishes.
WHAT: A last-minute Thanksgiving vegetable side with a satisfying richness to rival gravy.
HOW: In a casserole dish, layer Dijon and lemon-vinaigrette-dressed chard and cannellini beans with coins of sausage. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes and serve.
WHY WE LOVE IT: This set-it-and-forget-it vegetable dish combines the practicality of a weeknight dish with the seasonal depth of flavor expected at Thanksgiving. And it won't add much to the shopping list, either. —The Editors

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Watch This Recipe

Roasted Sausage, Swiss Chard & CannelliniBeans

Ingredients

1 bunchSwiss chard, stems and ribs removed and leaves roughly torn into 2-inch pieces
1 can cannellini beans (16 or 19 ounces, or about 2 cups), drained and rinsed
Finely grated zest and 1 tablespoon juice from one lemon (reserving extra juice for finishing dish)
1 teaspoonDijon mustard
1 teaspoonsmoked Spanish paprika
3 tablespoonsolive oil
16 ounces(about 3 or 4 links) good-quality chicken or pork sausage, removed from casings and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (can also use pre-cooked sausage, sliced into small pieces)
Finely grated Parmesan or pecorino, to serve

Directions

Heat oven to 400° F.
Combine chard and cannellini beans in a large casserole, baking dish, or ovenproof skillet. It will look like a lot of chard, but it will considerably cook down. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and zest, Dijon mustard, smoked Spanish paprika, and olive oil. Add to chard and cannellini beans and toss well with hands to evenly coat. Evenly distribute the chard and beans in a single layer—or as close as you can get to a single layer. Nestle the pieces of sausage on top of the chard and beans.
Roast for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chard is tender with crispy edges and the sausage is no longer pink. For extra security, you can toss about halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking.
Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed. Top with grated parmesan or pecorino. Serve warm.

Tags:

American
Chicken
Chard
Legume
Pork
Vegetable
Bean
Sausage
Mustard
Paprika
Meat
Serves a Crowd

Contest Entries

Your Best Recipe with Green Stuff
Your Best One-Pot Meal

See what other Food52ers are saying.

eatchimac
oregon cassie
drbabs
Melissa Clifford
Madeline Spiker

Recipe by: EmilyC

I'm a home cook. I love salads. Two things you'll always find in my refrigerator are lemons and butter, and in my pantry good quality chocolate and the makings for chocolate chip cookies.

Popular on Food52

79 Reviews

leslielrt January 25, 2023

This was really easy and delicious. I used spicy italian chicken sausage and added diced butternut squash after reading reviews of those who added sweet potatoes. It's going on the rotation it's that good.

Buffy282 January 22, 2023

We love chard, so I had to try this. It’s simple, with subtle, perfect seasoning (don’t skimp on the smoked paprika, get a good quality Spanish one; It makes a big difference), and so delicious we ate the whole dish for dinner one cold night. A few caveats:
My sausage was only 14 ounces
My can of beans was a little light
We’re lucky to get good, fresh chard around my neck of the woods, and the bunches tend to be small.
I LOVE lemon, so I used lemon-infused, high quality EVOO and the juice from the entire lemon, as well as the zest. It was not too lemony.
I’m lazy, so I chopped the chard instead of tearing.
I sliced the sausage a bit more thinly,
I roasted on super convection for about the last five minutes to slightly crisp the sausage.
This recipe is a home run!

Bmluby September 18, 2022

So quick, healthy and delicious! Farmers market fresh Swiss chard really enhances it, an absolute winner in my book.

lovemcm August 25, 2022

Used the chard stems sliced thin. Shame to waste them. Lowered EVOO to 2 tbsps. Otherwise as written. Delicious and quick. Would definitely make again.

zeby6980 November 1, 2021

This is basically the "escarole and beans" recipe my old boss gave me but his had a pork butt in it which takes considerably longer to make. I LOVE the idea to add sausage as the meat, i can't wait to try this! thank you :-)

Laura F. July 17, 2021

So tasty and simple! The dressing for the beans is light and flavourful and cut through the fat of the sausage wonderfully. I did everything on the stove top as it is way too warm to turn on the oven and this recipe doesn't need any alterations beside starting the sausage prior to adding the beans. I also added chopped walnuts because I thought it could add a nice contrast in texture. Thank you for this treat, will be making again!

eatchimac March 30, 2021

Oh, I didn’t try Roasted Sausage, Chard & Cannellini Beans Recipe. Now I can make it at home. So glad for sharing this recipe Now I can make it at home. It looks delicious. Now I can share your blog with my friend circle. I am so glad after seeing your recipe, Thanks for sharing this recipe. Food is one of the biggest topics of conversation online and offline. Keep it up, I am waiting for your next recipe!
https://eatchimac.com/

oregon C. January 22, 2021

This is a great quick & easy recipe that is SO good. Tonight I added a few mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, & chunks of sweet potato, just because they were lying around. Been enjoying this recipe for a long time, finally wanted to compliment you on it.

JB April 22, 2020