Sausage, Butterbean and Leek Casserole

Sausage, Butterbean and Leek Casserole

What kids don’t love sausages?  I found this recipe a couple of years ago when I had extra sausages in the fridge and fancied something interesting.  Both boys love it, we’ve fed it to friends and family and I have shared the recipe link with so many people.  It’s a keeper, easy (isn’t everything I post!), warming, tasty, and very, very moreish.  I like to serve it with mash, preferably with some wholegrain mustard stirred through it, but it also works well with rice. It freezes well do and I think it tastes better the next day.

The original recipe calls for Toulouse sausage, but I use the Gorey variety, I’ve tried it with garlic and herb sausages and tomato and basil and both are delicious, but usually we use good old regular “butchers’ sausages”.  Obviously enough, the better the quality of sausage you use, the better the finished product will taste.

Sausage, Butterbean and Leek Casserole Recipe

Ingredients- I usually make double this recipe, and sometimes I use more sausages and fewer beans.

6 sausages
6 slices of streaky bacon , chopped I tend to use 125g pancetta cubes instead
1 glass of white wine (as big or small as you like, or leave it out altogether
Oil for frying- I prefer sunflower for this, I don’t like olive oil flavoured sausages
A pinch of chilli flakes (if you don’t have these don’t worry)
1 leek
200ml Chicken stock (I use a Kallo stock cube)
1 garlic clove (finely chopped or put through garlic press)
A small bunch of parsley, chopped (I only have this when we have visitors)
2 x 400g tins of butter beans, drained and rinsed

Fry the sausages in a little oil until brown. (I tend to do this in a nonstick frying pan as when I do it in my casserole the sausages always end up sticking!) Remove from pan and slice into chunks. Brown the bacon/pancetta in the same pan then add the leeks and finely chopped garlic and cook till softened. Usually at this stage I transfer all to a large saucepan, including the sausages and then add the wine, stock and chilli flakes, and butter beans, but if the pan you use is big enough you can use the same one. Then simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the sausages are cooked through. Season and add the parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Mmmm saussies