due to overwhelming readership demand - okay, my only readership (hi sara) - i'm including here a recipe for some pretty decent italian sausage stew, sans photo...

italian sausage stew
1 lb italian sausage (buy bulk if you can. removing those casings is a nasty task)
some olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t crushed red pepper flakes (more if you've used sweet sausage, less if you selected the 'hot')
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried oregano
1 t fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
28oz can diced tomatoes (san marzano, please)
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
5 c chicken broth
1/2 c fresh torn basil
1/2 c parmesan cheese, grated
s&p to taste

this is a one-pot meal, so begin the process with whatever pot you have that's large enough to house the entire finished stew.
once you have located said pot:
heat pot to med-hi heat. add 2T of olive oil and brown the sausage in it (remove the casings first if you couldn't find bulk sausage).
then add the onion, carrots, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and fennel seeds.
season with a little salt and pepper and saute for about 10 minutes.
add the tomatoes, beans and chicken broth (throw in a parm or romano cheese rind at this point if you happen to have one sitting in the frig) then cover and simmer for about an hour (or you can throw it in the oven on low while you head out to work with no averse effects).
when you get home (or 20 mins before serving) toss in the spinach and grated parm.
WAIT 20 MINUTES.
then taste test for seasonings and indulge.