Friday 4 March 2016

Friday Feast - Smoky sausage casserole

It's ages since I posted a new Friday Feast recipe so last week I decided to rectify this. It might not look the prettiest of dishes but it's really delicious comfort food.

Smoky sausage casserole:

Serves 4 - who were they kidding! This is more like a meal for two folk with big appetites or for four people if you radically increase the number of sausages to as many as 12, certainly to eight. It suggested 6 pork sausages between four people and I just can't see one and a half sausages per person being right - granted we couldn't totally finish off the vegetables/sauce but gave it our best shot! So if it's just the two of you, try the recipe as it stands, for more people just increase the number of sausages as you think fit :)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed (we like garlic, so I used two)
1 large celery stick, finely chopped
2 peppers, (any colour), cut into chunks
6 pork sausages (I used frozen Richmond Thick ones, thawed before cooking began)
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chilli flakes
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
400g can cannellini beans, drained
250g bag spinach
2 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs (I skipped these and to be honest can't really see that they would have added much to the dish)

Method:

Put the oil in a large, heatproof casserole dish over a medium heat and add the onion, cooking for 5 mins until starting to soften. Tip in the garlic, celery and peppers, and give everything a good stir. Cook for 5 mins more.

Turn the heat to high and add the sausages. Cook for a few mins until browned all over, then reduce the heat to medium, sprinkle in the spices and season well. Pour over the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover and continue simmering gently for 40 mins, stirring every now and then.

Uncover the casserole. Add the beans and spinach, and stir to warm through.

NB. I skipped this next part.
Heat the grill to high, scatter over the breadcrumbs and grill for 2-3 mins until golden and crisp.

Things I do:

I did all the prepping and popped it to one side on dishes and plates before actually starting to cook. So much easier just to reach for ready chopped/measured ingredients as you go along. And you can 'clear the decks' of those little dishes and plates whilst the casserole cooks.

You can substitute any canned beans, we happen to really like cannellini beans - so I stuck with those.

As already said, we ate most of this between the two of us - it would stretch further if you increase the number of sausages.

I did increase the amount of chilli flakes, but found it a bit too hot for my taste so would stick with the suggested measurements in future. The smoked paprika imparts a really delicious flavour - very Spanish!

I served the casserole with creamy mashed potatoes but no other vegetables, figuring there was a good enough variety of vegetables in the casserole.

We both thought this was yummy - enjoy!

Di
x

12 comments:

  1. I love sausage casserole, but six sausages between four people? No way! I reckon we eat 5 between 2 of us, 3 for him, 2 for me. It's odd how inconsistent recipes can be, some of them produce vast portions and some seem designed for people who snack all day and eat very little at mealtimes.
    Jane

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  2. We certainly need comfort food when it is cold and damp weather - no sausages for me however I'd have to stick to the veggies.

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  3. As you know, I love a good recipe Di ;-) - this one sounds delicious, I love paprika but haven't used it in a sausage casserole before, I might just have to give it a go!

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  4. Mmmmm it's only 9.30 and you have made me feel really hungry! xx

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  5. Yum, thanks for sharing the recipe. Hubby was getting a bit bored of my 4 dish repotaoire! Cara x

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  6. Looks and sounds delicious, Di. I'll have to try it :)

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  7. This looks and sounds great Di and will definitely give this a go. I think for two of us I might use just one tin of tomatoes and cut down a bit on the peppers and perhaps add just a little less of the spices to even things out, but although I have had smoked paprika with chicken, I have never tried it but not with sausages so something just a bit different. x

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  8. This sounds so yummy. I haven't been doing much cooking real meals lately and maybe this will motivate me. I'm on a break today and resting up. I love mashed potatoes and haven't had them in forever. Your card for NBUS is lovely. The pinking stitch is unique and the die is so pretty. I like the inlay of the card and the rich razzleberry color. I hope to get enough supplies back into the house to participate in time. Today I am just taking a break and resting and visiting blogs. It's been so long and I'm having withdrawal pangs!

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  9. Okay, now I'm hungry. I'm pro comfort food! I was at home being sick the other day and hubby has packed and moved all the snacks! What the heck. I had to go to the grocery store.

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  10. Sounds a delicious dish, especially on the cold day like today. xx

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  11. Oh, this looks wonderful and would be the perfect dish on a cold night. I agree with you that the portions in most recipes are way too small for an average adult and I nearly always increase the amounts when I cook. Thanks for posting Di!

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