Sausage & Beans with Rice

This yummy casserole recipe was given to me by a friend, and came from Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious. It is exactly that! It's a great recipe for a day when you don't have much time for dinner prep, and want to just throw something together. It has a great barbecue flavor, and is hearty and filling. Maybe not as healthy as it could be, (I'm thinking of the corn syrup here) and maybe someone else might want to try actual brown rice instead of instant, but that definitely takes away from the quick and easy thing. Once again, this was a big hit with my husband. His exact words were, "I could eat this every week." This one is worth a try.
2/3 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. chopped green pepper
1 t. garlic, minced
1 T. oil, (canola or olive are both great)
1 lb. smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. instant brown rice
1 c. vegetable broth, (I used chicken, because I have that on hand more often, and it worked great)
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. ketchup
3 T. corn syrup
1 T. dijon mustard

Saute onion, green pepper, and garlic in oil. Stir in remaining ingredients, pour into greased 13x9 baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes longer or until rice is done, (I also gave it a little stir at this point to keep the rice moist).

Isn't that easy? Pair it with some steamed broccoli and voila! Dinner is served!

Oh, one minor note......I'm not a huge meat eater, and I thought that this recipe could easily go halves on the sausage, especially with all the protein from the beans, but my husband really liked it the way it is. So, whatever works for you!