Cannellini Bean and Sausage Gratin

Ingredients

• 0.5 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 30 ounce .5 can cannellini beans drained canned
• 0.5 cup chicken broth 
• 1 small bulb fennel chopped
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound sausages sweet italian
• 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 0.5 cup onion chopped
• 0.3 cup parmesan grated
• 2 tablespoons sage chopped
• 0.5 cup seasoned bread crumbs 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• baking pan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly coat an 8-by-10-inch baking or gratin dish with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, crumble the sausages and cook, breaking up, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Remove the sausage from skillet and set aside.
3. Add the fennel and onion to skillet and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sage and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add the Swiss chard, a handful at a time, stirring until slightly wilted. Stir in the broth, beans, sausage, salt, and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and set aside.In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs and Parmesan with the remaining olive oil.
5. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture on top and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
6. Serve warm.Tip: The same amount of smoked sausage may be substituted for the Italian sausage in this recipe: Slice it into rounds and chop coarsely. Great Northern beans can be substituted for the cannellini beans.