This Smoky Sausage and Bean Casserole is absolutely packed with flavour! It’s perfect for batch cooking, easy to make and beyond delicious to eat!
The BEST Sausage Casserole!
I mean, in my humble opinion of course. I’ve tried a few different sausage casseroles in my time and they tend to be more down the minimalistic, gravy style. Often underwhelming. Whilst developing this recipe I was incredibly conscious of packing in bold hearty flavours which resulted in this rich and smoky sauce. Here’s why I know you’ll love it:
- No Fuss – All in one pot with minimum prep.
- Flavours – Deep, soul-hugging flavours.
- Filling – Perfect for batch cooking and feeding a hungry crowd!
The great thing about this casserole is that’s it’s done on the hob. I find casseroles in the oven are annoying because they get so freaking hot and difficult to check on. Slow cookers are great but you just get less control over the heat.
How to make Sausage Casserole on the Hob (quick summary)
- Fry sausages until they begin to brown.
- Add chorizo and brown.
- Remove then fry onion, pepper and garlic.
- Stir in tomato puree then deglaze with red wine.
- Add beef stock and tomatoes.
- Add Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, rosemary, bbq sauce and smoked paprika.
- Add sausages back in and simmer with lid on.
- Take lid off and add beans, simmer to reduce.
‘Smoky’ Sausage and Bean Casserole
Smoky you say? I do indeed 🙂
The smokiness aspect of this casserole comes from a few different ingredients. Smoked paprika is a large contributor, as are the chorizo sausages. But the key ingredient is the BBQ sauce. It sounds strange, but it really REALLY works. It not only adds a touch of sweetness to the casserole, which helps balance out the other flavours, but adds to that gorgeous background smokiness.
What beans to use in a sausage casserole?
Here I use Pinto Beans, which best mimic regular canned beans. I have used Butterbeans in the past as well which also work great.
What to serve with a sausage and bean casserole?
I usually go for Mustard Mash (or regular mash). If I’m feeling lazy I’ll go with chunky buttered bread. If I’m feeling fat I’ll do both 🙂 Rice also works great.
Make ahead sausage and bean casserole
You can certainly make this ahead of time! Just make as stated, simmer for 90mins then cool, cover and pop in the fridge. Take it out, pour in beans and heat over medium flame until cooked through, using water to thin out as needed.
And there we have it! A perfect family dinner to add to your rotation. Rich, smoky, filling and delicious.
Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?
Easy Sausage Dinners
Alrighty, let’s tuck into this sausage bean casserole recipe shall we?!
How to make Sausage and Bean Casserole (Full Recipe & Video)
Sausage and Bean Casserole
Equipment
- Large Pot or Dutch Oven with Lid
- Jug (for stock)
- Wooden Spoon
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Ingredients
- 12 Pork Sausages (see notes)
- 8 Mini Cooking Chorizo (see notes)
- 2x 14oz/400g cans of Peeled Plum Tomatoes, diced in can with a knife (or chopped tomatoes)
- 2x 14oz/400g cans of Pinto Beans, drained
- 1 cup / 250ml Beef Stock, combined with 1 tsp cornstarch/cornflour
- 1/2 cup / 125ml Red Wine
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 heaped tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomate Paste in US)
- 2 Red Peppers, roughly diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1 large Onion, roughly diced
- 1 tbsp BBQ Sauce
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 sprig of Rosemary
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- Olive Oil, as needed
Instructions
- Add a splash of olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 12 pork sausages, fry until they begin to brown, then add in 8 mini chorizo. Keep frying until fully browned, then remove. They don't need to be fully cooked through at this point, just nicely browned.
- Add 1 large onion, 2 red peppers and 2 cloves of garlic to the leftover fat and fry until they soften and caramelize. Reduce heat down to medium, stir in 2 heaped tbsp tomato puree, then deglaze with 1/2cup/125ml red wine. Allow to reduce for a few mins, then stir in 1cup/250ml beef stock (+cornstarch/cornflour).
- Add 2 cans of plum tomatoes (chopped), 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp bbq sauce, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 2 bay leaves, 1 sprig rosemary and seasoning to taste. Give a stir then add your sausages back in. Give it one big final stir, reduce heat to low and pop on the lid. Allow the casserole to simmer with the lid on for 1 hour 30mins. This is important for the flavours to develop.
- After 90mins, take the lid off and stir in 2 cans of beans. Allow to simmer with the lid off for another 10mins or until it's nicely thickened, stirring occasionally. Pluck out the bay leaves/rosemary stalk and serve with mash or chunky buttered bread!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
If you loved this Sausage Casserole recipe be sure to pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Give me a shout in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
In the US there are many kinds of chorizo. It sounds like you are talking about spanish chorizo.
Yes here I’ve used Spanish chorizo 🙂
Didn’t have any BBQ sauce or red wine, I just added 2 star Anise, turned out amazing.
This recipe it a keeper.
Great to hear, Steve! Thanks so much for popping back for a review 🙂 C.
I just found you. I’m from Texas. I do not care for red pepper. Do you offer a substitute idea like green pepper or Anaheim peppers? This will be my first recipe I try from your fabulous looking collection. Super excited. Hope you aren’t too famous to have a minute for reply. *sMiLe*
Greetings from the UK 🙂 A regular green bell pepper will sub fine I’m sure. Hope the recipe goes down well! P.s the famous comment did make me chuckle C. x
Real comfort food for a cold and rainy day. So full of flavour that there wasn’t a Morsel left on anyone’s plate. Highly recommend .
Lovely to hear, Yvonne. Thank you!!
made some homemade bbq sauce last week, but wasn’t keen on it for dipping. so used it in this recipe not expecting to love it. ..but it was amazing. it was down to all the other fabulously flavoured ingredients and the combo that worked so well. we all raved about this recipe and were so surprised by how much we loved it. and will definaetely make that bbq sauce again, if only to use in this recipe. yay!
didn’t have – so swoppd red peppers for roasted red pepper from a jar, no chorizo so threw in a bit of smokey bacon chopped up and suateed, no red wine on the go so used more tinned toms.
So glad this went down well, Kazza! I bet a homemade BBQ sauce goes great! That reminds me, homemade BBQ sauce recipe… I’ll plonk that on the ‘to make’ list Thanks for popping back to leave a review and have a great day wherever you are in the world 🙂
This sausage and bean casserole screams comfort food. I love the wine and rosemary that you’ve added to this flavor-rich casserole.
Thanks, Kelly! 🙂
My husband loves this dish. The sauce is so rich. It really compliments the sausage.
So glad it’s gone down well 🙂
What a tasty post! You forgot one more thing in your list of things you know we’ll love – guaranteed to be FABULOUS!!
Haha of course!! 🙂
Such a lovely looking recipe! I love all these flavours and can’t wait to try it.
Hope you love it!
This recipe is a keeper for the winter months! It’s such a cozy, comforting meal with some mashed potatoes on the side…yum!
So good with mashed potatoes! 🙂