Tuscan sausage and beans, the Florentine way
This is one of those dishes that proves great cooking doesn’t need to be complicated. Fagioli all’uccelletto โ white beans slow-cooked in tomato, garlic, and sage โ is a Florentine staple, and when you add good pork sausages to the pot, it becomes one of the most satisfying meals you can put on the table. The name “all’uccelletto” refers to the sage and garlic aromatics traditionally used to cook small birds (uccelli) in Tuscany โ the same fragrant base that makes these beans so irresistible.
Use the best sausages you can find: a coarse-ground pork sausage with a high meat content works beautifully here. Serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 500g good-quality pork sausages
- 2 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes or passata
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to finish
- 3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 100ml dry white wine
- Salt and black pepper
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the sausages whole and brown them on all sides for around 8 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the crushed garlic, sage leaves, and rosemary sprig. Fry gently for 1โ2 minutes until fragrant โ don’t let the garlic colour too much.
- Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a minute or two, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped tomatoes or passata and stir to combine. Season well with salt and black pepper.
- Slice the sausages into chunky rounds and return them to the pan. Add the drained cannellini beans and stir everything together gently.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25โ30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce thickens too much, add a small splash of water to loosen.
- Remove the rosemary sprig. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Finish with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve straight from the pan with crusty bread.
Cook’s notes
For the most authentic result, use dried cannellini beans soaked overnight and cooked until just tender before adding to the pan โ they hold their shape better and absorb the sauce more deeply than tinned. If you can find Tuscan-style sausages (seasoned simply with salt and pepper, no fennel or herbs), even better. This dish reheats brilliantly the next day, the flavours only improving overnight.
Buon Appetito!
