Italian Sausage and Beans

Remove sausage from casings. In a medium sized skillet, over medium heat, brown sausage. Crumble the sausage as you cook it – and cook until no longer pink. Remove sausage to a bowl. Drain off any fat in the skillet. Add 1/2 cup of the water to deglaze the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add this liquid to the sausage & keep warm.

In a large skillet, over low heat, slowly sweat the onions in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the minced garlic and cook slowly until the onion is tender, but do not brown. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and the remaining 1 cup of water. Turn the heat up to medium and bring this mixture to a boil, stirring to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and the sausage/liquid. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes,uncovered, stirring occasionally.

Before serving, stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Serve warm with grated Romano cheese.