A Made up Recipe

The other evening Tim and I picked up this 3 quart round covered casserole dish at the grocery store. The store has been offering these nice baking dishes as a premium. Earlier, I picked up a 8x8 dish in red. They also have a 13x9 dish, a 3.5 quaert oval covered casserole and a 1 quart coverd casserole that I have my eye on. Hopefully there will be some left after the promotion and I can get a couple more pieces on sale. After all, everyone needs more baking dishes - right.

So, I was itching to use my new covered casserole dish. But what to make in it? Hmmm - somehow I ended up with a bunch of cans of white beans in the pantry that really needed to be used. So I spent some time looking at recipes on foodtv.com and came up with something of my own using ingredients I had or could easily get at our local grocery store. I really would have liked lamb, but I'd have to get that in Charlotte. I bought a few things - like spicey chicken sausage and bacon at the grocery store and a nice loaf of crusty bread - and Tim and I made dinner together. And we have plenty left over for lunches this week.

Here's what I came up with:

White Bean Cassoulet

Four cans of white beans, drained, in a 3 qt. covered casserole.
Add 1 tablespoon chopped garlic and 1 bay leaf.
Cook 5 slices of bacon. Drain and crumble into beans.
Sauté diced onion and chopped carrot in bacon grease, add to beans.
Slice 4 links of spicy chicken sausage and sauté until brown. Add to beans.
Add 1 cup of chicken broth.
Cover and bake at 350 degree for 1 hour.

Serve with grated parmesan cheese and crusty bread.