Mains · British
Sausage and Bean Casserole
Browned sausages simmered with leeks, peppers, smoky paprika and beans in a rich tomato sauce.
- Hands-on
- 45 min
- Hands-off
- 45 min
- Total
- 1 h 30 min
- Makes
- 6 servings
- Serves
- 6
About 45 minutes of hands-on work (grilling the sausages, chopping, softening the vegetables, bringing it to the boil), then 45 minutes of covered simmering with a quick check now and then. Total = 45 min active + 45 min simmering.
- easy
- budget
- family-dinner
- comfort-food
- winter
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? Use a pan big enough that the sausages can sit under the sauce. A bigger batch takes longer to come to the boil, so check the sausages with a thermometer rather than going by the clock. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: baking tray · aluminium foil · tongs · kitchen paper · large casserole pan (Dutch oven) with a lid · wooden spoon · chopping board and knife · instant-read thermometer · oven mitts
Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients
Method
Grill the sausages
Heat the grill (broiler) to medium and line a baking tray with foil. Prick the 12 chipolatas, lay them on the tray and grill for about 10 minutes, turning them halfway, then lift them onto kitchen paper to drain. Wash your hands and the tongs after handling the raw sausages.
Ready when: Browned all over. They are not cooked through yet; that happens in the simmer.
Prep the vegetables
Chop the 2 leeks, finely slice the 2 celery sticks and the 2 garlic cloves, and chop the 2 deseeded red peppers.
Soften the vegetables
Heat a generous drizzle of olive oil in a large casserole pan over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, garlic and peppers and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Ready when: The leeks are starting to soften.
Add spices and the rest
Stir in the 2 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp cumin and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the 12 cherry tomatoes, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 500 ml (2 cups) passata, 1 tsp sugar if using, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, the 2 cans of drained beans and a splash of water. Stir well.
Ready when: The spices smell fragrant before the tomatoes go in.
Bring to the boil
Push the grilled sausages down under the surface of the sauce and bring everything to the boil.
Ready when: Bubbling across the whole surface.
Simmer with the lid on
Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, put the lid on and cook for 45 minutes. Check it now and then and stir in a splash of water if it is getting too dry.
Ready when: The sauce has thickened and the sausages are cooked through: a thermometer in the middle of a sausage reads at least 71°C / 160°F and there is no pink inside.
Otto tried this firstOtto puts the lid on and walks off for the whole 45 minutes. The bottom starts to catch. Check it every so often and add a splash of water when it looks dry.Taste and serve
Taste and add a splash more vinegar if it needs it. Roughly chop the parsley, if using, and scatter it over.
Swaps
- Instead of grilling the sausages: brown them in the casserole pan first Brown them in a little oil in the same pan, lift them out, then cook the vegetables. Grilling lets more of the fat drip away.
- Instead of Demerara sugar and parsley: leave them out Both are optional.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Storage
- Cool leftovers and refrigerate them within 1 to 2 hours. Eat them within 48 hours, or freeze them as soon as possible. Thaw in the fridge and use within 24 hours of thawing.
- Reheat
- Reheat until steaming hot all the way through (74°C / 165°F), and only once.
If something goes wrong
- Stew looks dry or is catching on the bottom Why: Too much liquid has bubbled away.
Stir in a splash of water and keep the heat at a gentle simmer. - Sausages still pink in the middle Why: They haven't simmered long enough.
Put the lid back on, keep simmering and check again. Sausages are minced meat, so they need to reach 71°C / 160°F all the way through. - Tastes a bit flat Why: It needs more acidity.
Add a splash more red wine vinegar, then taste again.
Good to know
- Chop the vegetables while the sausages are under the grill.
- It's good with baked sweet potatoes or brown rice and a chopped green salad.
Safety
- Raw sausage meat can carry harmful bacteria. Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds after touching it, and keep it away from ready-to-eat food.
- The grill and the tray get very hot and the fat can spit. Use tongs and oven mitts, and kids should leave the grill to an adult.
- Sausages are minced meat: they must reach 71°C / 160°F in the middle. Browned outside doesn't mean cooked inside.
- Sausages often contain wheat (rusk) and sometimes soy or milk, so check the label. This recipe also contains celery and mustard, which are listed allergens in the UK and EU.