Baking with Burns: How to make sausage casserole

As the clocks go back and darker, colder nights become the norm, Lisa has another versatile autumn dish for you to make to warm you up.

Autumn has brought some chilly nights with it.

So this warming sausage casserole, full of spicy goodness, should keep out the night-time chills.

One pot dishes are ideal when you have to feed a hungry family, so with a few store cupboard favourites and herbs thrown in, this tea-time treat is an ideal meal to enjoy supper together.

This dish can be made either with meat or vegetarian sausages. When I made it, I made both variations in two separate pots and they were both equally tasty. 

The dish is also versatile and can be made with whatever you have to hand. So you add or omit whatever you like as long as you have a few sausages and onions as the main ingredients.

Ingredients 

Serves 4-6

One to two tbsp of olive oil

Six to eight sausages (meat or vegetarian)

Four to eight rashers of bacon (omit for vegetarian version)

Three medium onions, sliced into rings

300g mushrooms, washed and sliced

Three garlic cloves

Half a tsp of chilli powder (optional)

Two 400g cans of tinned tomatoes

One 400g can of mixed beans 

500ml of vegetable stock

Three tbsp black garlic relish

One tsp dried mixed herbs 

Three bay leaves

One tsp dried thyme

Pinch of black pepper

Rice to serve

Method 

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok and fry the sausages gently until they are evenly browned (for vegetarian ones, grill lightly for around 10 minutes). Transfer sausages to a large saucepan or stockpot.

2. Remove the rind from the bacon and discard. Cut the bacon into thin strips and fry in the oil left in the frying pan until crisp. Remove from the pan and add to the sausages.

3. Slice the onions thinly and add to the frying pan. Cook gently until the onions begin to soften, stirring from time to time. Add a bit more oil if needed. Add the mushrooms and gently fry.

4. Crush the garlic cloves and add to the onions and mushrooms and cook for two minutes more. Add the chilli powder and cook for a few more seconds.

5. Add the tomatoes, mixed beans, stock, black garlic relish, herbs, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a simmer.

6. Turn off the heat and carefully pour the mixture onto the sausages in the saucepan/stockpot.

7. Bring the casserole to the boil, reduce the heat, cover loosely and let it simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, stirring every now and then. 

8. Season with a pinch of pepper, remove the bay leaves and serve with a good helping of rice.