Braised Ribs and Italian Sausage with Beans (One-Pot Meal)

Hearty, delicious, and packed with flavor, my Braised Ribs and Sausage with Beans is a simple dish that’s perfect for cooler nights. Serve with a loaf of crusty bread for dipping, and you’ve got a full meal.

Sausage and ribs in umido

The Italian culinary term in umido translates to “in moisture” and basically means braised or stewed. If you’ve been following along with me for a while, you know how much I love using this technique, especially as cooler weather comes around. Braised ribs and sausage with beans is a dish I’ve been making for a while now and it’s always a hit with my family.

Since it’s all made in one pot, the cleanup is fairly easy, and when served with some crusty bread, not much else is needed. If we do serve anything with this, it’s usually a salad of mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette afterward to cut the dish’s richness.

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

• Meat. I’m doing a combination of mild and hot Italian sausage, plus baby back ribs. If you can’t have pork and want to try a similar dish, check out my chicken with brothy beans recipe.
• Beans. I’m using canned cannellini beans for this recipe, but other white beans, such as northern beans, would also work.
• Tomatoes. Canned whole plum tomatoes that are hand-crushed or blender-pulsed work great, as do canned crushed tomatoes.
• Stock. Opt for low-sodium boxed chicken stock, or better yet, homemade chicken stock.
• Balsamic vinegar. This adds some flavor and acidity to the dish. Red wine vinegar can also be used. The combo of the vinegar and sugar lend a sweet and sour flavor to this dish.
• Sugar. While this is optional, you may wish to add some to balance out the flavor. It’s even more important to add if you opt to use red wine vinegar in place of balsamic.
• Herbs. I’m using fresh rosemary that’s stewed with the braised sausage, ribs, and beans, and add the fresh parsley at the very end.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make braised Italian sausage, ribs, and cannellini beans

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F and season the ribs with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat a large oven-safe pot or Dutch oven to medium heat and cook the sausage in olive oil for a few minutes per side until the start to brown and release some of their fat, then transfer to a plate and cover with tented foil.
2. Add the ribs to the pot and brown on all sides, then transfer to the same plate as the sausage.

3. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, then add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
4. Add the stock and turn the heat to high using a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the tomatoes and bring to a lively simmer, then turn off the heat and return the sausage and ribs to the pot. Add the vinegar, sugar, and rosemary.
6. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and transfer to the oven and cook for 90 minutes.

7. Remove the pot from the oven and feel free to remove accumulated fat at the top of the sauce with a spoon or paper towel. You can also add 1/2-1 cup of water if the sauce is too thick. Add the beans and return to the oven to braise for 30-60 minutes more.
8. Once the ribs are fork-tender, remove the pot from the oven. You can remove more fat at this point, if desired. Add the parsley and serve with crusty bread.

More dishes you’ll love

If you’re looking for hearty and delicious dishes like this braised Italian sausage and ribs, give these other recipes a try.

• Sciabbo (Sicilian Pork Ragu)
• Greek beans with sausage
• Old school veal and peppers