The Hairy Bikers’ sausage casserole recipe is the ultimate comfort food – it’s quick and easy to make, and is packed full of flavour.
The Hairy Bikers once shared their ultimate comfort food dish – a succulent sausage casserole teeming with juicy pork sausages, crispy bacon bits, and soft beans all enveloped in a richly seasoned, aromatic sauce that adds a gentle heat. Perfect for warding off the cold, this hearty meal can be made in just an hour.
It’s a stress-free recipe that’s a easy to make and even easier to enjoy with a generous helping of fluffy rice or crusty bread on the side. The BBC praised the recipe, saying: “The Hairy Bikers take on sausage casserole makes a wonderfully warming and filling dish.”
They added: “With plenty of sausages and bacon you could stretch it to feed more people with an extra tin of beans, plenty of rice or bread on the side.”
This mouth-watering recipe promises to serve six hungry people, with each serving coming in at 423 kcal.
Hairy Bikers’ sausage casserole recipe
Ingredients
- One to two tbsp sunflower oil
- 12 good-quality pork sausages
- Six rashers rindless streaky bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces (2.5cm/1in)
- Two onions, finely sliced
- Two garlic cloves, crushed
- A pinch of hot chilli powder or smoked paprika to taste (half to one tsp)
- 400g can of chopped tomatoes
- 300ml heartwarming chicken stock
- Two tablespoons of tomato puree
- A dash of Worcestershire sauce (one tbsp)
- A spoonful of dark muscovado sugar (one tbsp)
- A teaspoon of dried mixed herbs
- Two bay leaves
- A few thyme sprigs for fresh flavour (three to four)
- A splash of wine (100ml red or white wine, optional)
- 400g can of butter beans or a mix of your favourite beans, drained and rinsed
- A good grinding of salt and freshly ground black pepper
For serving, cook up some fluffy rice or slice up some rustic bread.
Start by heating a tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick frying pan and gently cook the sausages for around 10 minutes, turning them occasionally until they are evenly browned all over. Once done, transfer the sausages to a large saucepan or a flameproof casserole dish and set them aside.
In the same frying pan, fry the bacon until it begins to crisp and turn golden. Once it has started to brown, add it to the dish containing the sausages.
Next, add the onions to the frying pan and sauté over a medium heat for about five minutes, stirring regularly, until they begin to soften. If there isn’t enough fat in the pan, drizzle in a little more oil.
Once the onions have softened, add the garlic and continue cooking for two to three minutes, stirring often, until the onions turn a light golden colour.
Sprinkle the chilli powder over the mixture and allow it to cook for a few more seconds.
Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and herbs to the pan. If you’re using wine, pour it in now; otherwise, use a little water.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
Carefully pour the tomato mixture into the pan with the sausages and bacon, then return it to a simmer. Lower the heat, cover the pan loosely with a lid, and allow it to cook very gently for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
After 20 minutes, stir the beans into the casserole and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened.
Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and serve the dish with either rice or slices of rustic bread.
