Sausage Casserole for the Whole Family

Could there be a more warming, family friendly autumnal or wintery dish?  I say "no" and I'm wondering why I didn't think of this around bonfire night?

This is the poor relation to a cassoulet but tasty nonetheless and thrifty too.  I used 700g of sausages in this recipe which easily would have fed 5 adults and by reducing the amount of meat each person has and increasing the amount of pulses it's not only environmentally friendly (especially being cooked in a slow cooker) but it's also great health wise.

Slow Cooked Sausage Casserole for the whole family.  Easily served 2 adults and a toddler with leftovers for 2 adults.

Ingredients

700g Sausages
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely diced
2 tsp olive oil
500g Passata
2 sprigs of thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
1 tin haricot beans (235g drained weight)
1 tin chickpeas (230g drained weight)
1 red, yellow or orange pepper (capsicum)
1 tsp smoked paprika
4 cloves of garlic

To serve; garlic or crusty bread

Method

Saute the onions and carrots in the olive oil until the onions have softened and they're starting to colour.  Put in the slow cooker.  Split the sausages if large by pressing in the middle, twisting and cutting where they are twisted to make two short fat sausages.  Brown the sausages and put into the slow cooker.  Add the remaining ingredients plus a couple of tbsp of water.  When you have slow cookers you get to know how much water you need to add, it varies by cooker as some lose more steam than others.  If you feel like more is needed, add more but be aware that the vegetables will release some water as they cook.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or until done to your liking.  Serve sprinkled with parsley if you're feeling poncy and garlic bread.  A hit with the husband and my son!

We'd had some good news when I'd made this dish.  It's been an absolute roller coaster the last 6 months emotionally but it feels like the end may now be in site.  So we had this with champagne!

I've linked this up to naptime creations this week.