When you need a last minute, "one pot" meal ... turn to the versatile white bean

I know that when we're getting towards the end of the week at my house, I'm usually scrambling to figure out what I can make that is easy and makes use of whatever food is still around.  As many of you will know from past posts, typically the end of the week means sausages or meatballs are the main protein.

Typically I lean towards tacos since tortillas never go bad, and it's pretty easy, but another easy thing is a "one pot" meal.  For this meal to the right, I tossed whole, uncased, sausages into a 3qt pot with a can of white beans (including the liquid), about 1/2 can of water, diced onion and some chopped basil.  I left the pot slightly un-covered and cooked over medium-low heat until the liquid had reduced to a "gravy" consistency.  I removed the sausages and sliced them in half and then served them over rice and then topped with the beans.  Simple, easy and filling.

For this second dish I used a drained can of white beans and a cup of beef stock in addition to some pre-made meatballs.  I added some diced onion and sliced garlic and then seasoned with salt and pepper.  I again cooked the bean concoction slightly un-covered over medium low heat until the beans had absorbed most of the liquid.  I served this dish with asparagus and some avocado puree.

I highly recommend giving one of these dishes a try, or create one of your own ... either way, enjoy!