Dr Mobeus
Sausage and Bean Stew
Sausage and bean stew is the kind of one-pot dinner that gets you through January. It costs about £2.20 for four portions, uses nothing more expensive than a pack of value sausages and three tins from the storecupboard, and somehow tastes like it has been cooking for hours when it takes 35 minutes.
The baked beans are the secret ingredient here. They add sweetness and a thick sauce that means you do not need any flour or stock. The kidney beans bulk it out and the tomatoes tie everything together. It is not fancy cooking, it is just good feeding.
This is also a good recipe to double up and freeze half. It reheats perfectly and actually tastes better the next day when the flavours have had time to get to know each other.
Sausage and Bean Stew
Ingredients
Method
- Cut each sausage into four pieces with scissors. Brown them in a large pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes, turning occasionally. They do not need to be cooked through.
- Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes until the onion has softened.
- Stir in the smoked paprika, oregano and tomato puree and cook for 1 minute.
- Tip in the baked beans, kidney beans and chopped tomatoes. Fill one of the tins with water and add that too. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausages are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve in bowls with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Tips and Variations
Use the cheapest sausages you can find, because they are going to be simmered in sauce and nobody will know. Cutting them into pieces with scissors means they go further and every spoonful gets some sausage. If you like it spicy, add a teaspoon of chilli flakes with the paprika. Crusty bread is non-negotiable, you need something to soak up the sauce.
