Vegan Sausage Casserole With Lentils and Farro

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion (peeled and finely chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 Tbsp tomato puree
• 350 g (2 large) carrots (chopped)
• 1 small butternut squash (about 650g unpeeled weight) (peeled, de-seeded and diced)
• 350 g (1 large) potato (diced)
• 1 400 g (14oz) tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 litre strong vegetable stock
• 100 g (3.5 oz) dried farro
• 400 g (14 oz) tin green lentils (drained)
• 8 vegan sausages (I used Linda Mc Cartney)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes, until soft.

2. 2

   Add the garlic, smoked paprika, tomato puree and carrots and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often.

3. 3

   Add the butternut squash, potato, tinned tomatoes, bay leaves and stock; bring up to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are almost tender.

4. 4

   Add the farro and lentils and cook for another 15 minutes, until the farro and vegetables are cooked through. Add a splash more stock if needed but the stew should not be too watery.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, cook the sausages according to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, slice each one into fat pieces.

6. 6

   Season the stew to taste with plenty of salt and pepper, stir through the sliced sausages and serve with crusty buttered bread to soak up the juices.