Fazool Casserole

This is Fazool Casserole. Thank you. Oh. You want to know what’s in it? Okay. This is radiatori. It looks like a radiator. But it doesn’t heat your apartment. Good. These are beans. Cannellini beans. They’re still beans. Then we have Italian sausage. I was told it’s Italian. Buonasera. The sausage did not respond. Zucchini. Cherry tomatoes. Kale. This is the healthy part. We buried it. Inside there’s ricotta and Romano cheese. See? Cheese. This is going very well. And parsley with garlic bread crumbs. THIS IS THE GREATEST CASSEROLE I HAVE EVER EATEN! FANTASTIC! INCREDIBLE! FAZOOL! It’s pretty good. The radiatori catches the creamy ricotta and Romano. The sausage gives it richness. The beans make it hearty. Tomatoes bring sweetness and acidity. Zucchini and kale keep everything fresh, and then you get those crispy garlic bread crumbs on top. That sounded like an actual restaurant description. I apologize. Please enjoy the Fazool. And remember…the beans are still beans.

Ingredients

1 lb Radiatori pasta
1 cup dried cannellini beans
3 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp kosher salt
15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
2 egg yolk and 1 egg
1 cup Romano cheese
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
1 bunch kale (stems removed)
1/2 cup white wine
10 oz fresh cherry tomatoes
1 tbs olive oil
4 Italian sausages
3 cloves garlic
3 cups fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup parsley leaves
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

Add the cannellini beans, chicken stock, kosher salt, and bay leaf to a pressure cooker. Cook beans on high with slow release for 28 minutes. Remove bay leaf and drain beans, reserve the cooking liquid.
Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large skillet over medium high heat add the olive oil. Cut the top off of the sausage, squeeze nickel size balls of sausage meat out of the casing and add to the pan. Fry the tiny sausage balls to a golden brown, 3-4 minutes with the garlic, minced, and then remove from pan into a large bowl with the cooked beans.
Chop the zucchini into 1/4 inch pieces and add to the pan with the sausage drippings. Saute for 1-2 minutes and deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the kale to the pan and cover to let the kale wilt, 3-4 minutes. Add cooke zucchini and kale to the bowl with the sausage balls. Chop the cherry tomatoes in halves and also add to the bowl.
Cook your pasta for 2/3 of the time of the package directions. Drain pasta and add to the bowl with the sausage and vegetables, mix to combine.
In a small bowl whisk together the ricotta cheese, Romano cheese, eggs, nutmeg, and liquid from the beans. Add to the bowl with the pasta and mix to combine. Place mixture in a 9×13 inch pan.
Place the bead crumbs, garlic powder, parsley leaves, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese into a food processor and process to combine. Spread the bread crumbs over the pasta mixture in the pan. Bake casserole for 35 minutes. Allow casserole to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Serve.