Beans and Sausage

A hearty Spanish-inspired dish combining tender kidney beans with flavorful morcilla or chorizo sausage, bacon, and sautéed cabbage. This rustic meal features a rich combination of textures and tastes, enhanced with garlic, red onion, and mild pickled peppers.

6 servings
3 hr

Ingredients

  • 1 whole ancho chile or dried choricero pepper
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 whole red onion
  • 1 to taste salt
  • 1 pound dried kidney beans
  • 4 ounces bacon
  • 7 cloves garlic
  • 8 ounces morcilla or chorizo
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ head green cabbage
  • 1 to taste pickled peppers

Cooking Instructions

  1. 1.

    Soak 1 ancho chile or dried choricero pepper in a small bowl of hot water until softened, about 20 minutes; drain. Remove stem and seeds; discard. Set pepper aside.

    20 min

  2. 2.

    Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 finely chopped red onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until soft and just starting to brown, 8-10 minutes.

    10 min

  3. 3.

    Add 1 pound dried kidney beans, preferably red speckled, or cranberry beans, 4 oounces chopped bacon (about 4 slices), and 6 smashed peeled garlic cloves to saucepan, then add water to cover by 3". Bring to a simmer and cook, skimming surface and adding more water as needed to keep beans submerged, 1 hour. Add reserved rehydrated pepper and 8 ounces morcilla (Spanish blood sausage) or fresh chorizo (about 2 links) and cook until beans are tender, 60-75 minutes.

    135 min

  4. 4.

    Transfer sausage to a cutting board and slice. Discard pepper. Mix 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar into beans and season with salt.

    5 min

  5. 5.

    Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 finely chopped garlic clove and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 head thinly sliced green cabbage (about 3 cups), season with salt, and cook, tossing often, until softened, about 4 minutes.

    5 min

  6. 6.

    Serve beans topped with sliced sausage, sautéed cabbage, and pickled guindilla or other mild pickled peppers.

    5 min