You don’t usually associate Italian cuisine with casserole but Italian Sausage Casserole is a very traditional dish. Ideally you should be using Italian pork sausages to make this but for budgetary reasons we’ve gone with a standard pack of pork sausages available from any supermarket but do keep an eye out for Italian ones if you can push the budget just that little bit.
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1tbsp Olive Oil
8 Pork Sausages
1 Onion Finely Chopped
2 Garlic Cloves Crushed
2 Large Carrots Finely Diced
3tsp Fresh Rosemary Finely Chopped
400g Tin of Borlotti Beans Drained and Rinsed
500ml Water
1tsp Fennel Seeds Crushed (Optional)
Pinch of Dried Chilli (Optional)
Salt
Black Pepper
1. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot and fry the sausages until lightly browned. Remove from the pot and keep to one side.
2. Fry the onion, garlic and carrot in the same pot with a sprinkling of salt until they are soft over a low heat. This will take 10-15 minutes but will be worth it. Cut the sausages into 3-4 sections and return them to the pot along with the rosemary and fennel and chilli if using.
3. Fry altogether for 2 minutes before adding the water.
4. Bring to the boil and add the borlotti beans. Simmer for 30-40 minutes over a low heat ensuring it never boils. Add further seasoning if required and serve with warm crusty bread or garlic bread.
The recipe above is delicious but don’t be limited by the ingredients here. If you’ve got a handful of tomatoes sat at the bottom of the fridge then throw them into the sauce when you add the borlotti beans. They will break up during the cooking time and add yet another classic Italian flavour to the dish… Tomatoes. And don’t forget anything else you might have sitting in the fridge: Celery, courgettes, kale, peppers, any left over fresh herbs such as basil or parsley… Don’t let it go to waste!
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