This is a whole lot of goodness in a bowl. Surprisingly my son will eat veggies in soups, stews and casseroles, so I really should make them more often. It is just when they are plonked on his plate in their offending natural state that he protests. Anyway this dish should be loved by the whole family and would be great done in a slow cooker for busy days.

Sausage Casserole

Serves 4 (2 adults and 2 children) with some leftover to freeze for another day.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 300g of butternut squash, chopped
• 200g of mushrooms, chopped
• 8 pork sausages, chopped up
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 400ml of passata
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (good quality brand)
• 100ml of no added salt chicken stock
• splash of tabasco sauce (optional)
• 1 cup of frozen lima beans (or a similar soy bean)
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• olive oil

Method

Drizzle a large casserole dish with some olive oil over a medium heat.

Add onion, celery and garlic and fry until softened. Add the sausage and fry until lightly golden.

Add carrot, butternut squash, mushroom, red pepper, tomatoes, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and tabasco sauce and cook for a further 5 mins

Add the passata, stock, and lima beans, bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for approx 1 hour.

Add the peas for the last 5 mins of cooking time.

Serve with your choice of side.

This would work well in a slow cooker too, however I would perhaps reduce the passata and stock by half the quantity needed when cooking on the stove.