Hearty Sausage Casserole

classic sausage casserole in dutch oven with wooden spoon

Print Recipe

Here I'll show you how to make a classic sausage casserole in the heartiest and most delicious way possible!

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 30

Total Time2 45

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Servings: big portions

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £4 / $5

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Large Deep Casserole Dish/Pot with Heavy Lid
Wooden Spoon
Tongs
Jug (for stock)

Ingredients

12 Pork Sausages (see notes)
4 slices of Back Bacon, diced (see notes)
3 Carrots, finely diced (200-250g/7-9oz)
1 large White Onion, sliced
2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
2 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
120ml / 1/2 cup Red Wine (see notes)
720ml / 3 cups Beef Stock
1x 400g/14oz can of Chopped Tomatoes
2 small Bay Leaves (or 1 large)
1 large sprig of Fresh Rosemary
2-3 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
400g / 14oz Baby Potatoes, halved (see notes)
2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Olive Oil, as needed
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Buttered Bread, to serve

Instructions

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, deep casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the sausages and fry until deep golden and lightly charred, then remove and set aside. Don’t worry about cooking them right through at this point, just focus on browning the outside.
Add the bacon to the leftover oil and fry until it begins to brown. Add the carrots and onion and fry for a further 3–4 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Stir in the tomato purée and fry for 1–2 minutes, then pour in the red wine. Simmer for 2 minutes until it reduces slightly.
Pour in the stock, then add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce and sausages. Give it all a good stir, scraping off any flavour from the bottom of the pan, then bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat down to low, pop on the lid and leave to gently bubble away for 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove the lid, give it a stir, then simmer for a further 20–30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
Pluck out the rosemary and thyme sprigs and the bay leaves (or just remove them when serving). Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. This is perfect served with some hunks of buttered bread.

Video

Notes

a) Sausages - try to grab some thick sausages, just so they don’t break apart as they simmer. I recommend something with a neutral flavour (i.e. not loaded with different spice/flavour combos). For reference, 12 sausages should weigh around 800g/28oz.

b) Bacon - you can use smoked or unsmoked. For reference, the weight should be around 100-120g/3-4oz.

c) Red Wine - this gives a gorgeous depth of flavour to the casserole. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just so long as it’s dry. If you can’t use alcohol just sub with more stock.

d) Potatoes - don't sub other floury/baking potatoes. Baby potatoes are waxy, so they hold up nicely with the long simmering time. Baking potatoes will likely crumble apart.

e) Cookbook– this recipe is featured in my debut cookbook ‘Comfy’.

f) Calories - whole recipe divided by 4.

Nutrition