Italian Sausage and White Bean Bruschetta Recipe

Italian sausage and white beans combine with traditional bruschetta ingredients to create this mouthwatering Italian Sausage and White Bean Bruschetta.

Thanks to Klement’s for sponsoring this delicious post. As always, all opinions are my own.

Summer Time is Fun Time

During the Summer (our favorite time of year!), everything for my husband and me centers around spending time on our lake. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, we are engaged in water activities as often as we can.  

Probably our favorite thing to do is to spend time out on the lake on our pontoon. We also love paddle boarding, taking long walks, sitting by a bonfire or just relaxing on our deck.

We love sharing our home with family and friends, so it’s great when we have visitors. That also means I’m always looking for easy and delicious food ideas to serve to hungry people after an afternoon on the lake. Along with all of our outdoor activities, we love to eat after a day of water activities!

Around 4:00 in the afternoon, everyone’s usually ready to hang out on the deck and enjoy appetizers, listen to some music and have a good conversation. Since it’s lake time, which for me is all about being laid back, quick and easy recipes that can be made ahead are always best.

Upgrading Our Bruschetta

Enter Italian Sausage and White Bean Bruschetta. Bruschetta is a classic Italian appetizer and one of my favorite things to serve guests. And, while I love a traditional regular or sun-dried tomato bruschetta, I was looking for something a little heartier but still a simple recipe. 

Along with the Klement’s sausage I had on hand, I did have several cans of great northern beans. One of the best things about great northern beans is they have a mild flavor and really absorb other flavors. So, during the cooking process, they would really compliment the sausage flavors.

And when I say easy recipe, you don’t even cook the beans! Other than toasting the bread, the only thing you cook is the sausage. For that, you cut into small pieces and sauté until brown.

Otherwise, this is about taking the fresh ingredients, mixing together with the sautéed sausage and putting that on top of your toasted baguette slices. After that, it’s time to sit back with a glass of wine and enjoy the food and scenery!

Toasting the Bread

A great way to toast the bread is to cut the baguette on a diagonal into 1/2 inch thick slices and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle both sides of the bread with a bit of olive oil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until bread is toasted.

I also find a good quality bread usually tastes better and holds up well in recipes like this one.

Make It Shine With Klement’s Sausage

Now let’s talk about the sausage. I love Klement’s pre-cooked dinner links. Since they’re pre-cooked, they’re so quick and easy to use in recipes and they taste fantastic.

They’re made in small batches from a recipe from the Old World that Klement’s has been using for over 60 years. The dinner links come in so many delicious flavors, like Jalapeño Smoked Sausage, Cheddar Bratwurst, Smoked Bratwurst, Hot Italian Sausages and probably my favorite, Italian Sausage. I love the mild, sweet Italian sausage flavors in that classic dinner link.

We also love Klement’s handcrafted, small batch Summer Sausage. It’s made with 100% quality meats and it’s shelf stable, so it’s great for taking along when you’re on the go.  

The Summer Sausage tastes amazing just as it is, but I like to take the Garlic Summer Sausage, slice it, season it with some smoked paprika and then sauté just until it’s warmed through and is slightly browned. It’s delicious served with cheese and crackers or with some crusty Italian bread.

A Great Make Ahead Recipe

Not only is it quick and easy, it can easily be made ahead of time. I made this a day ahead of time and by the second day the flavors were even better!

I bring everything together with the exception of the fresh basil and parsley and the toasted bread. That mixture can be kept in the fridge for a day or two in an airtight container. 

Once you are ready to serve, I recommend letting the sausage and bean mixture come to room temperature before serving. That way the flavors will shine through.

Now cut your bread slices, toast in the oven, stir in the fresh basil and parsley and top the toasts with the sausage and bean mixture. Great as an appetizer or even make it a light meal main dish with the bruschetta and a small tossed green salad.

All in all, it’s a tasty and satisfying appetizer after a fun-filled day at the lake.

Enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Either chicken or pork Italian sausage will work for this recipe.
• Make sure you buy fully cooked sausage links.
• Don’t skip the step of browning the diced sausage links, this really brings out their flavor.
• If you’re making this bruschetta ahead of time, wait to add the fresh parsley and basil right before you’re going to serve it.
• If you don’t have great northern white beans on hand, a can of cannellini beans is a good substitute.
• Make sure you drain the liquid from the beans before adding them to the bruschetta.

Ingredients Needed to Make Italian Sausage and White Bean Bruschetta

Full instructions can be found below in the recipe card

• Italian sausage links
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Roma tomatoes
• Red onion
• Great northern white beans
• Balsamic vinegar
• Garlic
• Fresh parsley
• Fresh basil
• Dried Italian seasoning
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Baguette

How to Make Italian Sausage and White Bean Bruschetta

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet on medium heat.
• Add diced Italian sausage and sauté until sausage is browned.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Combine tomatoes, onion, beans and sausage pieces (once cooled) in a large bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, garlic, parsley, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
• Pour over sausage and bean mixture and stir until ingredients are well coated.
• Serve with toasted baguette.

ENJOY!