Sausage and bean pot recipe

Hearty, wholesome and warming, this Sausage and bean pot is very easy to make and is real comfort food. It’s great for a midweek meal or quick weekend dish and can be put together easily using store cupboard ingredients. The chorizo sausage in this recipe adds extra richness and spiciness and compliments any good flavoured pork or beef sausages you choose to use. You can use any canned beans in this recipe - butter beans, borlotti beans, cannellini beans, red kidney beans, even baked beans in tomato sauce are all ideal . You can also find cans of beans in spicy sauces in the supermarket. It’s a very versatile recipe and so easy to vary by adding whatever you have available.

Ingredients

• 3 – 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 Lincolnshire or Cumberland sausages
• 4 rashers bacon, cut into pieces
• 100g chorizo sausage, cut into slices or cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 sticks celery, sliced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 leek, sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1cm dice
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp paprika
• 150 ml hot beef stock
• 425g can mixed beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat 2tbsps of the oil in a large ovenproof casserole or sauté dish and fry the sausages for about 10 minutes until lightly and evenly browned. Lift out and drain. Add the bacon and chorizo sausage and fry for about 2 minutes. Lift out and drain.
2. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Lift out and drain. Fry the celery, carrots, leek, potatoes and garlic for 5 minutes and then return everything to the pan again.
3. Add the tomatoes and their juice, tomato purée, paprika and stock and stir well. Cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
4. Add the beans, stirring them in well and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Cook for a further 10 minutes until the beans are heated through. Serve with crusty bread or a green vegetable.