A Recipe to Warm the Soul

Even though the weather this winter hasn't been very wintery, it certainly has brought on a few bitter cold days. When the days have a chill all I want is something warm and hearty.

One of my all time favorite recipes to make is Turkey Sausage Cassoulet, a recipe I found in Fitness magazine a few years ago. It involves sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and turkey sausage as its main ingredents! The flavors in the meal really complement each other very well and I promise you wont be disappointed after you make this dinner.

Turkey Sausage Cassoulet:
Makes 4 servings

21/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced 
Pinch salt plus more for tatse
4 uncooked turkey sausage links ( I use turkey kielbasa)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed ( I used 4 small ones, like I said I love em)
2 cups butternut squash, peeled an cubed
1/2 cup organic low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbs fresh sage, chopped
1 16oz can cannellini beans rinsed and drained
1/2 cup whole-grain panko bread crumbs
2 tbs grated Parmesan 
Freshly ground pepper, to taste 

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large dutch oven over med-high heat. Add 2 tbs of the oil and the shallots, onion and pinch of salt to the pot; saute’ 5-10 mins and then turn off heat.
2.) In a small pan, cook the sausage until browned, 3-5 minutes per side. Remove fro pan and set aside; once cool, slice into 1-inch pieces and add to onion mixture.
3.) Add the sweet potato, squash, vegetable broth, thyme, sage and beans to Dutch oven; stir.
4.) In a medium bowl, mix the panko, Parmesan and remaining olive oil; season with salt and black pepper to taste and sprinkle over sausage mixture. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 mins or until topping is golden brown. Serve.

Note: chop your sweet potatoes and butternut squash into relatively small cubes; I found that the thicker the pieces were the longer it took for the dish to cook.