Sausage and Bean Cassoulet
This is one of those really easy dinners. It ticks all the boxes on the taste, speed and heartiness front. Most of the ingredients are store cupboard ingredients, you can interchange the bean varieties, I often swap a tin of beans for lentils.
SERVES
4
PEOPLE
Ingredients
8 large, lean good quality sausages
125g rindless smoked bacon, diced
1 tbsp oil 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
400g canned flageolet beans
400g canned cannellini beans
400g canned chopped tomatoes
A bunch of flat parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp grainy mustard
3 tbsp tomato puree
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Cut sausages into 2.5cm pieces with kitchen scissors and dice the bacon. Heat half the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan and add the sausages. Fry over a moderate to high heat for approx. 5 minutes, turning frequently until the sausages are golden. Then add the bacon and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring. Remove the sausages and bacon from the frying pan, drain on kitchen paper and set aside.
Rinse and drain the beans, you don’t have to keep them separate.
Place a heavy-based casserole over a moderate heat and add the remaining olive and add the onion and garlic, cook for 5 minutes until softened.
Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, mustard and tomato puree. Rinse out the tomato can with ½ of a can of water and add it to the mixture. Bring to the boil, stirring, then add the drained beans.
Return the sausages and bacon to the casserole and season to taste.
Reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for a further 10-15 minutes., stir in the parsley at the end.
Serve the cassoulet accompanied by a green salad and some warm crusty bread.
There’s a little nip in the air, the heavier duvet is going back on the bed, and it certainly feels like autumn.
