Sausage Casserole

• 8thick pork sausages (about 600g)
• 1 tbspolive oil
• 2medium onions, roughly chopped
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 2medium carrots, sliced
• 1large red pepper, sliced
• 200 gchestnut mushrooms, halved
• 1 tbsptomato purée
• 400 gtin chopped tomatoes
• 300 mlhot vegetable stock
• 1 tspWorcestershire sauce
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 1bay leaf
• 15 gfresh parsley, chopped (optional) (optional)
• 240 gdrained butter beans (from a 400 g tin), rinsed
• Fine salt

Method

1. 1Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Pat the sausages dry. Brown them in two batches, 6–8 minutes per batch, turning so they take on a deep mahogany colour all over; don't crowd the pan or they'll boil in their own juices. Lift them out and set aside.
2. 2Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions with a pinch of salt. Sweat them gently for 6–7 minutes until soft, translucent and just catching gold at the edges; you're building the base flavour here, so don't rush it.
3. 3Stir in the garlic, carrots and red pepper and cook for 3–4 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and pale gold.
4. 4Add the mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes until they release their juices and start to brown at the edges. The pan should be coated in dark sticky bits; that's flavour, and the tomatoes will lift it in a moment.
5. 5Stir in the tomato purée and fry for a full minute until it darkens and smells jammy rather than raw. Tip in the chopped tomatoes along with the hot vegetable stock, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme and bay leaf. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom as it comes up to a simmer.
6. 6Return the sausages and any resting juices to the pan, cover and simmer gently for 25–30 minutes, stirring once or twice so the sausages do not catch. Add the drained butter beans for the final 10 minutes. Check the sausages reach 75°C for 30 seconds in the centre. The sauce should thicken to a glossy, coating consistency and the carrots should be tender but still hold their shape.
7. 7Discard the bay leaf. Taste the sauce and season; the sausages and Worcestershire bring salt, but the beans may still need a pinch. If using the optional parsley, stir through most of it, divide between four bowls and scatter the rest on top.

Per serving

kcal

639

protein

30.8g

fibre

9.1g

carbs

37.8g

fat

41.9g