And you thought baked beans and sausage weren't the least bit French? Betty & I have paired up to prove you wrong. Behold Betty Crocker's Baked Bean & Sausage Casserole aka Middle Income French Cooking! This casserole is, per Betty, an "...appetizing adaptation of the French cassoulet." Put that in your Pyrex, Julie & Julia! I did. It was savory and satisfying. And looked pretty haute and hearty in my fave dish.

Baked Bean & Sausage Casserole

• 1pkg [10 oz] frozen Lima beans - oooooh, Peruvian legumes!
• 3 cans [16oz] baked beans
• 2 cans [20oz] kidney beans, drained
• 1 lb Italian link sausage or pork link sausage
• 1/2 lb smoked ham cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 T salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1/2 t mustard
• 1 can [8oz] tomato sauce
• 1/2 c catsup
• 1/4 c brown sugar [packed]
• 1 medium onion, chopped

Cook Lima beans 10 minutes. Drain; mix with baked beans and kidney beans. Place sausage in skillet; add small amount of water. Cover and simmer 5 min. Drain; pan fry until brown. Don't prick [how dare you!]. Cut each sausage into 2 or 3 pieces. Heat oven to 400 degrees [mod. hot]. Mix sausage, ham and beans. Combine seasonings, tomato sauce, catsup, brown sugar and onion; add to beans. Pour into 3qt baking dish. Bake uncovered 1 hr. [10-12 servings]

Hmmm... I halved this recipe. Mostly because the exotic Lima beans make my innards quiver. Blech. And because I just wasn't convinced that 10-12 servings of this "cassoulet" would fit into my adorable Pyrex. I also squeezed the sausage links from the meat counter out of the casings before I cooked 'em - hoping to release more flavor into the dish. I think it worked. One more thing, I roasted a few rubbery carrots from my veggie drawer and added them to the mix. With a better than 50% chance that my kids will lose their 20/20 vision soon, we can always use the extra beta carotene. And if you were wondering - this dish was better than good. A perfect Pyrex cassoulet for a crisp, clear fall day.

I [heart] Betty. And that's not a crock.

Laugh, eat, repeat at: kitschenfeast.blogspot.com

Betty Crocker's New Picture Cook Book (c) 1961