Spicy Sausage Stew (vegan)

This spicy sausage stew is a real winter warmer. It’s the perfect dinner during these cold, dark months.

More than just sausage and beans

What do you think of when you think of bonfire night feasts, campfire cooking and hearty dinners during the month of November. It’s sausage and beans right?! When I was growing up I always looked forward to the 5th of November, not just because of the big bonfire and fireworks but because of the food. We’d have mugs of tomato soup, sausages cooked over a fire, served up with huge helpings of caramelised onions and lashings of baked beans! This Spicy sausage stew is in homage to that bonfire night feast.

The key components here are the sausage and beans. If you’re a meat eater then pick your favourite pork sausage. For the rest of us, I recommend using a plant based sausage that tries to imitate a pork sausage rather than using one that is vegetable based. Why? Because you want the high fat, slightly salty taste that you get with the “meatier” variety. My favourite brand for this type of sausage has to be Richmond. If there’s a better vegan sausage out there do let me know in the comments.

You could throw a tin of baked beans into this recipe – but I prefer to make my tomato sauce from scratch. The variety of beans you choose to add is entirely up to you. I’ve made this stew with kidney beans, butter beans and even chickpeas! If you want the traditional “baked bean” then you will want to add haricot beans. But my favourite is cannellini beans which you will see in the photos here.

But it’s not just sausage and beans in this stew. Pumpkin (or squash), carrots, red peppers, mushrooms, celery and caramelised onions feature too. They are a fantastic mix of flavours and textures which bulk this out to make a really filling and nutritious meal. Feel free to add any of your favourite vegetables! (Spinach is a nice addition).

The sauce is made from chopped tomatoes that has been flavoured with garlic, ginger, crushed chilli flakes and paprika as well as classic salt and pepper. It’s a really warming, spicy blend of spices.

The recipe

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Spicy Sausage Stew (vegan)

This spicy sausage stew is a real winter warmer. It's the perfect evening meal during these dark, cold months. 

Course Dinner

Cuisine British

Keyword black pepper, butternut squash, cannellini beans, carrots, celery, chilli flakes, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, paprika, pumpkin, red pepper, salt, sausage, tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Servings 2 people

Author Emma Walton

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 plant-based sausages e.g. Richmond sausages
• 1 white onion thinly sliced
• 1 winter squash cubed
• 2 large carrots sliced
• 2 sticks celery sliced
• 1 red pepper de-seeded and roughly chopped
• 4 portobello mushrooms sliced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 inch root ginger grated
• 400 grams tinned tomatoes
• 400 millilitres vegetable stock
• grams cannellini beans drained weight
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp crushed chilli flakes adjusted for your own heat tolerance
• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 200C / 400F / gas mark 6.

2. Heat the olive oil in an oven proof casserole dish on a medium-high heat and add the sausages. Cook the sausages for 5 minutes, turning regularly just until their skins have begun to brown and go crisp.

3. Add the onion to the casserole dish with a big pinch of salt and cook until the onions have softened and begun to go translucent (5-10 minutes).

4. Add the remaining veggies to the casserole dish and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes or until they have a little colour around the edges and have softened slightly.

5. Next add the garlic and ginger to the casserole dish and cook for just a few moments until their fragrance begins to come out.

6. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and stir well to combine.

7. Place a lid on top of the casserole dish and pop into the centre of the oven to cook for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are soft.

8. Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.

Recipe Notes

I use a casserole dish which can be used both on the hob and in my oven. If your casserole dish cannot be placed directly on to heat (e.g. on the hob), use a large saucepan for steps 2-6 and place into the casserole dish just before it goes in the oven. 

More casseroles and stews

There are a number of one pot dinners on the blog which suit a range of diets. A small selection are set out below.

Key:

• (vg) = vegan
• (v) = vegetarian