Smoky Sausage, Butter Bean, and Red Pepper Casserole. The weather in Jersey this Easter has certainly been a mixed bag. One day bright sunshine. Storms the next. Right now the wind and rain are battering the window panes. So, I have decided on something hearty and filling for supper. A store cupboard staples recipe with some bits and pieces I always have in the fridge to add plenty of flavour.
Smoky Sausage, Butter Bean, and Red Pepper Casserole is really my type of cooking. Simple, tasty, and not involving too many pans. You can use just about any sausage you want or can buy. the casserole is great with plain pork or Cumberland pork sausage. If you want to try something a bit different try a Polish Kielbasa. These are lightly smoked pork sausages that add to the smoky flavour.
Smoky Sausage, Butter Bean, and Red Pepper Casserole – a perfect Meal Mates Recipe
Smoky sausage casserole is a great recipe for my partnership with the Jersey charity Caring Cooks and their Meal Mates campaign. I am costing out a series of healthy, nutritious, easy-to-cook recipes that are great to share. Caring Cooks started in the home of a Jersey mother. She began cooking an extra meal for local families in need while preparing dinner for her children. Their ‘Weekly Meal Service’ now allows families to sit down together at least once a week to share a nutritious and homemade 2-course meal. Supplied without the worry of having to cook or spend money on ingredients.
Food poverty in Jersey is a complex problem, is caused by several factors. One of the primary causes of food poverty in Jersey is high living costs. The cost of living is among the highest in Europe. This means that many families and individuals struggle to make ends meet. This can make it difficult for them to afford nutritious food, especially fresh fruits, and vegetables. One way of combatting these problems is for individuals and local communities to pull together where possible. This initiative aims to do just that by cooking and sharing.
My Sausage Casserole Top Tip
To add a real sweet and sour style tang to a sauce professional chefs make a ‘Gastrique’. This is a mix of caramelised sugar and vinegar. To add a similar style kick to lift your smoky tomato sauce the recipe has some soft brown sugar and cider vinegar.
Smoky Sausage, Butter Bean, and Red Pepper Casserole Costings
The smoky flavour in the recipe comes from the smoked paprika and adding a little toasted sesame oil. The paprika, stock cube, and dried thyme can be added to your store cupboard. You can use to enhance other soups and stews. I used some outdoor-reared butcher’s pork sausages but you can add your favorite. Try the recipe with chorizo or kielbasa sausages.
You can buy dried butter beans and presoak and slowly stew them but I am happy to use tinned. Tomato passata is thick tomato juice available in most supermarkets. You can use the center of your celery including the leaves. The total cost of the casserole is £9.90. A generous serving for six people, two sausages each, works out to £1.65 per portion. I served it with a simple green salad.
12 Pork Sausages £3.39 , 2 x 400 gr tinned Butter Beans £1.70, 2 Red Peppers £1.58, 2 x 500 gr Tomato Passata £1.30, 2 White Onions £0.80, 3 large Celery Sticks £0.30, 1 large Carrot £0.20 , 1 quality Chicken Stock Cube £0.17, dried Thyme £0.10, 3 cloves of Garlic £0.30, 5 gr Smoked Paprika £0.25, 25 ml toasted Sesame Oil £0.33 , 50 gr Dark Brown Sugar £0.20, 25 ml Cider Vinegar £0.13, Sea Salt and Black Pepper £0.15
Smoky Sausage, Butter Bean, and Red Pepper Casserole
Equipment
- 1 Large heavy-bottomed Frying Pan with a lid
Ingredients
- 12 Pork Sausages
- 2 500 gr Tomato Passata
- 2 400 gr tins Butter Beans
- 2 Red Peppers De seeded and cut into slices
- 2 medium White Onions peeled and very finely chopped
- 1 large Carrot Peeled and very finely diced
- 3 sticks Celery washed and finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic peeled and crushed
- 1 quality Chicken Stock cube
- 5 gr dried Thyme
- 5 gr Smoked Paprika
- 25 ml toasted Sesame Oil
- 50 gr Dark Brown Sugar
- 25 ml Cider Vingar
- Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- Place the sausages in the heavy-bottomed frying pan over a low heat. Slowly start to cook the sausages. As the fat starts to render you can turn up the heat.
- Fry the sausages turning regularly until brown then carefully remove from the pan.
- Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pan and saute until golden brown and cooked through.
- Add the garlic and cook out for a couple of minutes stirring contiously.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients and bring to a gently simmer, covering with the lid. Stir occassionally to prevent the casserole sticking and burning.
- After fifteen minutes add the sauages and cook for another fifteen minutes.
- Check the seasoning and serve.
Notes
Check the sausages for Gluten Can I ask a favour?
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