Italian Sausage and White Beans with Sage

Directions

If you’re cooking your own beans, start with 2 cups of fresh dried white beans. If you want to cook the beans on the stovetop, I would soak them in cold water overnight; for cooking dried beans in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot, you can skip the soaking. Put dried beans, celery, garlic, 3 leaves sage or a pinch of dried sage, salt, 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning, and 1 T olive oil in the slow cooker, Instant Pot, or in a pan on the stove with enough water to just cover the beans. Cook beans 5-6 hours in the slow cooker. For Instant Pot, lock the lid and cook 30 minutes at HIGH PRESSURE; then let beans NATURAL RELEASE for 15 minutes followed by quick release as needed. To cook beans on the stove, cook at a low simmer until beans are tender; cooking time will depend on how fresh the beans are. For either method, drain the beans, saving the large cloves of garlic and 1/2 cup cooking liquid. While beans cook or when slow cooker beans are almost done, heat another 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the outside of sausage well. Let sausage cool and then cut into diagonal pieces. Add another 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil and brown the cut sides of the sausage well. Chop garlic pieces and add the cooked beans, chopped garlic, browned sausage pieces, 10 sage leaves or a little dried sage, canned tomatoes with juice, ground fennel, second teaspoon of Italian Seasoning, and the 1/2 cup cooking water from the beans to slow cooker or Instant Pot. For slow cooker, cook 2-3 hours on high. For Instant Pot, lock lid and then cook at HIGH PRESSURE for 10 minutes; then let the dish NATURAL RELEASE for 5 minutes followed by quick release as needed. Serve hot, with some freshly-grated Parmesan to add at the table as desired.