Sausages with White Beans

My husband's favorite food is sausage! When we were in Germany, I think he ate sausage variations several times a day for several days straight.  Its fatty so I'm not too big on it, but decided it would be a nice dinner for him.  Well, this dish turned out delicious!  It is so flavorful and the flavors blend together so nicely.  Okay, so, its kind of hard to make sausage LOOK appetizing (especially when its covered in beans!) ... but, trust me.  You won't regret it! (By the way, I am terrible at making beans. I think it has something to do with my terrible stove, because they always get mushy... even that couldn't ruin this dish though!)

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma FoodMadeFast: Weeknight 

Ingredients

Hot or sweet Italian sausages, 8 small or 4 large (I used 5 mild)

Dry white wine, 1 cup

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Yellow onion, 1, finely chopped

Red bell pepper, 1 large, chopped and seeded

Garlic, 2 cloves, minced (I used 5)

White beans such as cannellini or Great Northern, 2 cans, drained and rinsed

Fresh oregano, 2 tablespoons, minced (I used 1 tablespoon of dried)

Chicken broth, 3/4 cup

Salt & pepper to taste

Arugula, 2-3 cups (can substitute escarole or raicchio if needed)

Directions

1. Prick the sausages in a few places with a fork and place them in a large frying pan with a lid.  Add 1/2 cup of the wine.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Uncover the pan, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook the sausages, turning occasionally, until well browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

2. While the sausages are cooking, in a separate large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil.  Add the onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally until softened and beginning to brown - about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir continuously for 30 seconds.  Add the beans, oregano, the remaining 1/2 cup of wine, and the both.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered until half of the liquid has evaporated, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the sausages to the pan with the beans and simmer for about 1 minute until warmed through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

You can either (or both) use the arugula in step 2 and add it to the peppers and onions, or you can serve it on the plate beside the beans and sausage.