Hearty Sausage casserole

We are definitely at the time of year when comfort food is exactly what we all need. As much as I try and be as good as I can be in the Summer months, I’m just not interested in eating salads every day when the weather turns cold. I make up for this by packing as much veg in my meals as I can. One of my favourites right now is kale – I love it! It’s so easy to prepare too – just steam for a few minutes and that’s it.
I’ve kept this recipe fairly simple – please use it as a blueprint. You can add any other veg you fancy – sweet potato chunks, butternut squash, broad beans – the list is endless! You could also add a few chilli flakes for a spicy hit.
This is a real winter warmer 🙂
Hearty Sausage casserole
One tbsp oil
One large onion, sliced thinly
Two cloves garlic, sliced
One leek, chopped into fairly thin slices
8 sausages
One sprig each rosemary and thyme
A handful of mushrooms, sliced
200ml beef Stock
One 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 tsp smoked paprika
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the sausages. When they are brown, remove from the heat and set aside. Gently cook the onion, garlic and leek for five minutes until softened. Throw the herbs and mushrooms into the pan and stir. Cook for a couple of minutes and pour in the beef Stock, chopped tomatoes and smoked paprika. Bring to the boil, then transfer to a deep casserole dish and cook for 45-60 minutes.  Serve with creamy mashed potatoes. My tiger bread would be a fabulous accompaniment to mop up the juices!