SAUSAGE CASSEROLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

— 2 tbsp olive oil
— 20-30 depending on how hungry your family are! Good quality chipolata sausages
— 1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
— 2 red peppers deseeded and chopped
— 20 mini chorizo the bitesize ones, chopped in half
— 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
— 2 tsp paprika
— 1 tsp dried thyme
— 1/2 cup (120ml) red wine (this is optional, leave it out if you prefer)
— 2 chicken stock cubes crumbled
— 3x14oz tins (3x400g) chopped tomatoes
— 14 oz (400g) tin haricot beans, drained and rinsed
— 14 oz (400g) tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan until hot, and brown the sausages all over (you may need to do this in two batches if your pan isn’t big enough). It should take about 6-8 minutes.

Add in the onion and cook for a further 3 minutes on a medium heat until the onion softens slightly. Add the red peppers and mini chorizo pieces and cook for a further 3 minutes (try to get the chorizo to come into contact with the pan, rather than resting on top of everything else, this will help them to brown slightly).

Add the garlic, paprika, and thyme and stir. Cook for 1 minute, then add in the wine. Let the wine bubble away for 2-3 minutes until reduced. Scrape up any bits that have stuck to the pan at this point.

Crumble in the stock cubes and stir, then add in the tinned tomatoes. Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times during cooking.

Add in the drained haricot and cannellini beans, stir and cook for a further 5 minutes until heated through.

Serve with mashed potatoes and peas if you like.

Notes :

Make ahead:

Cook the whole dish, then cool, cover and refrigerate for up to two days. Take out of the fridge an hour or two before you want to reheat, just to take the chill off the dish. Reheat on the hob over a medium heat, for about 20 minutes. Keep the dish covered for the first 10 minutes to help the heat distribute, then remove the lid and stir every couple of minutes to fully disperse the heat. Ensure the sausages are piping hot throughout before serving.

Can I freeze sausage casserole?

Yes, cook the dish, then cool, cover, and freeze. Defrost thoroughly in the refrigerator, then take out of the fridge an hour or two before you want to reheat.. Reheat on the hob over a medium heat, for about 20 minutes. Keep the dish covered for the first 10 minutes to help the heat distribute, then remove the lid and stir every couple of minutes to fully disperse the heat. Ensure the sausages are piping hot throughout before serving.

Can I make this in the slow cooker?

Yes, crumble in the stock cubes and add the tinned tomatoes at stage 4. Bring to the boil, then transfer to your slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high. Then stir in the beans and cook for a further 30 minutes on high.

The beans:

I like to use a mixture of cannelini and haricot beans in this casserole, but you can swap out the beans if you like. Stick with one type of bean, or use mixed beans, butter (lima) beans, kidney beans, black beans, aduki, pinto, black eye, borlotti, flageolet, or even tinned of baked beans in tomato sauce. Drain and rinse them before adding – unless you’re using baked beans in tomato sauce, in which case they can go straight in.

The sausages:

I use chipolata sausages, as they’re thinner and therefore a little quicker to cook. You can also fit more in the pan in you’re cooking for lots of people. Use your favorite variety of sausage through. If you don’t want to fry them, you can grill or oven cook the sausages and add them into the hot pan once browned, then add in a tablespoon of oil and the red onion, and go from there.

Last Step: Don’t forget to share!