Hearty sausage and bean casserole

Ingredients

• 1 pound / 450 grams good quality pork sausages
• 1 large onion (finely chopped)
• 1 large carrot (finely chopped)
• 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
• 2 medium tomatoes (finely chopped)
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/2 cups beef or vegetable stock ((make it with a stock cube))
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried paprika
• 11 ounce / 300 grams can baked beans in tomato sauce
• salt (to taste)
• sprig fresh rosemary (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 200°F/400°C

2. 2

   Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Add the sausages and allow to brown lightly. Transfer the sausages to a casserole dish. See note 1.

3. 3

   Add the chopped onions, carrots, celery and garlic to the frying pan and fry gently, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes until the onions start to soften.

4. 4

   Add the chopped tomatoes, cover the frying pan with a lid, and simmer on a low heat for 2 minutes to allow the tomatoes to soften.

5. 5

   Remove from the heat and stir in one tablespoon of flour. Stir well to remove as many lumps as possible.

6. 6

   Dissolve 2 beef or vegetable stock cube in 1½ cups of boiling water. Once the stock cube is dissolved, add 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, and 1 teaspoon paprika.

7. 7

   Pour the stock into the vegetables in the frying pan. Mix well, then stir in one can of baked beans.

8. 8

   Bring the mixture to the boil, then taste for seasoning and season with salt to your own taste. Remove from the heat and pour all the stock and vegetables over the sausages in the casserole dish. Add a sprig of rosemary (optional) and cover the casserole dish with a lid.

9. 9

   Place the casserole dish in the preheated oven and leave for 40 minutes until the sausages are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

10. 10

    Discard the rosemary before serving. Serve with crispy french fries or over a pile of creamy mashed potatoes.