Taste: ***
Difficulty: Easy
Cleanup: Quick

I made this very easy stew recipe tonight.  Other than the sausage required for the recipe, you likely have all the ingredients in your cabinet and freezer — an excellent quality in a weeknight recipe.

The recipe is a little vague on type of sausage, but I used hot Italian turkey sausage.  As you know, I like a little heat!  I used the frozen spinach, as the recipe calls for, but next time might try with fresh spinach.

I toasted some bread brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan cheese in the broiler which was the perfect accompaniment to this tasty stew!

Chickpea & Sausage Stew
Real Simple

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 12 ounces Italian sausage, thawed and casings removed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 10-ounce package frozen leaf spinach
• kosher salt and pepper
• 8 slices bread, toasted (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the sausage and cook, crumbling it with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 8 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and cilantro and cook for 1 minute more.

Add the broth and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Add the frozen spinach and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally with a fork to separate the leaves.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Divide the toasted bread, if using, among individual bowls and spoon the stew on top.

Here’s another great one-pot meal you can make on a cold Sunday and heat up for dinner during the week.

Winter Cassoulet
Real Simple

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 parsnips, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 tomato, chopped, or one 8-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 3 15-ounce cans of great Northern, cannellini, or navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

In a Dutch oven (a heavy pot, usually made of cast iron, that you can use on the stovetop and in the oven), heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the sausage until well browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Remove and drain on paper towels; set aside.

Pour out the excess oil from the Dutch oven. Add the chicken broth, vegetables, beans, thyme, salt, pepper, a third of the garlic, and the sausage and return to heat. Mix well, scraping up any brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour, until thickened and the vegetables are tender.

Heat oven to 400° F. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parsley, butter, and remaining garlic. Sprinkle evenly over the cassoulet and place in the oven. Bake, uncovered, until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Keep it: Refrigerate leftovers in a smaller baking dish up to 2 days. Reheat at 375° F for about 20 minutes. To make ahead and freeze, prepare without the breadcrumb topping. Cover and freeze up to 4 months. When ready to cook, uncover the cassoulet, sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture, and bake, unthawed, 45 minutes to 1 hour at 400° F.