This post is kindly sponsored by Cauldron Foods.
It's officially Winter, and what's better on these cold evenings than a piping hot bowl of a warming sausage casserole? When we decided to give up meat winter comfort food wasn't high up on our priority list. Not until it started getting colder did we start thinking about cosy comfort food. Stews and casseroles have always been on the menu for us as soon as Autumn hit. So I had to think of new options when we decided to become vegetarian. And that's how this vegan sausage casserole came about.
This vegan sausage casserole is spicy, rich and very comforting, it's really easy to make and is a real winter warmer. A rich, slightly spicy tomato sauce with herbs, garlic and a little bit of wine is the base for this casserole. Add in some sweet peppers, creamy butter beans and some good vegan "sausages" and you have a great weeknight dinner. We like to have this with a generous serving of creamy mashed potatoes, however, creamy polenta or couscous works well too.
What's so good about this Vegan Sausage Casserole?
- It's vegan!
- Low in fat - thanks to the veggie sausages!
- It has heart-healthy beans, good for veggies
- Warming and comforting
- Under 500 calories ( not including sides )
- It's filling and satisfying
So you may know that this is our first Christmas as a vegetarian family, we have it all planned out and we are really excited about starting some new Christmas traditions, foodwise! However, being a new veggie family at Christmas means parties and family get-togethers can be a little bit trickier. I remember the first family dinner we were invited to shortly after we switched to a veggie diet. I told our host not to make a fuss, we'll have whatever, or I can bring our own food. The last thing I wanted to do was put pressure on our loved ones.
But to our surprise, everyone has been so supportive, most see it as a challenge to cook something different. Luckily for us, we come from a family of home cooks and real foodies. But what if you're not as lucky as us or what if you are cooking for your vegetarian or vegan loved ones this Christmas and have no clue where to start? Well, the good folk at Cauldron have just the thing for you. They have come up with The Ultimate Vegan and Vegetarian Christmas Guide.
Even if this isn't your first Christmas as a vegan or vegetarian I think you will find this guide really useful. I mean Christmas is stressful enough as it is without worrying about food and what to cook. This guide has everything you can think of for both a veggie and vegan Christmas. And as if that wasn't enough, those lovely Cauldron folk are also running a competition, giving you the chance of winning a £500 supermarket voucher of your choice or a brilliant Belazu ingredient hamper. You better be quick though the closing date is the 17th of December!
Vegan Sausage Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (280g) sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Romano peppers (long sweet peppers) sliced widthways, pith and seeds removed
- ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 level tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 fat cloves of garlic minced
- 50 ml vegan red wine optional
- 2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 80 ml water
- 1 400g tin of butter beans drained and rinsed in cold water
- A small bunch of fresh thyme
- 1 large dried bay leaf
- 6 vegan sausages I used Cauldron's vegan sausages
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper + more for serving
- A tablespoon flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saute pan or casserole dish. Add the onion plus ¼ teaspoon of sea salt and cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes stirring regularly until they are soft and golden.
- Turn up the heat to medium then add the chilli flakes, smoked paprika and rosemary and cook for a minute, then add the garlic, cook for another minute.Pour the wine, if using, into the pan and stir well until the wine has reduced fully then pour in the tins of tomatoes. Add some water to the empty tins, give them a little swirl then pour it into the pan as well.
- Now add the peppers, beans, thyme, bay leaf salt and pepper. Stir well then cover with a lid, turn down the heat a little and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering cook the sausages in a little olive oil, you can grill or fry them it's up to you I fry them.Once they are cooked remove from the pan and pat dry with some kitchen paper. Cut the sausages in half.
- Remove the lid from the pan then add the sausages to the tomato and bean sauce. Check the seasoning. Turn up the heat to medium then leave the sauce to reduce for about 10 minutes. Add the parsley just before you serve it.
- Serve immediately with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.
Notes
- Calories are approximate and do not include mash potatoes or other sides.
- I used 6 sausages cut in half to make this if your sausages are small I would use 8.
- I don't recommend freezing this as the sausages have already been frozen.
- The sauce can be made up to a day ahead, you can also freeze the sauce without the sausages as you would freeze a soup.
- If you are serving this to children you may wish to omit the red wine.
- The spiciness of a meal is very much dependent on individual tastes if you like your food hot add more chilli flakes if you're not keen on heat al all just omit the chilli flakes.
Nutrition
More Vegan Winter Warmers:
- Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
- Spicy Cauliflower Soup
- Mushroom Curry
- Mexican Vegetable Soup
- Mushroom Stir Fry with Broccoli
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more delicious food.
Ritabean
Can I use canelinni beans? Looks like a fab recipe , i have three tins in cupboard
Michelle Alston
Hi Ritabean, yes you can use cannellini beans instead. It should work fine.
Tina Miller
Totally delicious. I added some carrot and used fresh vegan sausages so I can freeze the left overs.
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Tina, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Minty
It’s very snowy here today and this was just the thing to have. It’s was warming and comforting and very easy to make. We had it with pasta, the sauce was lovely and thick with a good kick. Will definitely be making this again.
Michelle Alston
Hi Minty, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It's definitely a good one for this cold weather we're having.
Stephanie Maddix
Made this loads of times...with an addition of some red lentils. Love it. So easy and quick.
Michelle Alston
Hi Stephanie, thanks so much! I'm so glad you like it 🙂
Annie
Was delicious!!
Straightforward ingredients and easy to follow! The finished dish was hearty and tasty! Will be making this for my friends soon!
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Annie, I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Daryl
Hello! I have always been an old colemans sachet for sausage casserole as long as I can remember. Guilty of not knowing what was really in it! I LOVE this recipe! I only had a normal red pepper and some mushrooms so fired that in! Haha It's very rich in taste and with some mash and veggies!! Banging!
Michelle Alston
Hi Daryl, I'm so glad you liked it! We love it with mash too and it's great for using up any veg left hanging around the fridge 😉
Andrea Kiely
This recipe was delicious!! Posh sausage and beans!! Have recommended to vegan friends.
Michelle Alston
Hi Andrea, I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Alice
The best recipe I’ve stumbled upon in months
Michelle Alston
Thanks so much Alice, I'm so happy you liked it 🙂
Funkipickle
Delicious even without the peppers. Lovely with baked potatoes. Thank you!
Michelle Alston
I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Louise Lloyd
This is seriously one of the best vegan recipes I have ever made. After a really long day at work to come home to this was blissful
Michelle Alston
Thank you so much Louise, I'm so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Hannah
Made this recipe several times now and the children devour it! Tastes amazing! Total hit in our house.
Michelle Alston
Hi Hannah, thanks so much! I'm so glad you all like it Xx
Nicola
This went down a treat! Absolutely delicious.
I added leek, black eye beans, green beans and sweetcorn.
Michelle Alston
I'm really glad you liked it Nicola, and I love the extras you've added! Will have to try that x
Natalie
Oh wow. This look so fantastic. Who would guess this is vegan dish. I must give this a try. I bet my hubby would even notice there's no real meat in that sausages. I love the flavors.