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Upgrade your classic sausage casserole with vibrant Mediterranean flavours of smoky chorizo, artichokes, creamy cannellini beans and sweet cherry tomatoes! An easy and kid friendly recipe that practically cooks itself!
Are you a fan of Mediterranean flavours? Take a look at our Spanish Style Chicken and Potatoes. Another one pan meal that is perfect for midweek dinners.
Quick dinner ideas for weeknights are what we are all after, right? This sausage casserole is one of my favourite recipes! It relies on the most regular ingredients that are found in most homes like sausages, canned tomatoes and beans.
Then it surprises and excites us with slightly more exotic things like smoky chorizo and canned artichokes. Both are still easily accessible and affordable since you will need only a tiny amount. But that small amount immediately bumps the flavour to the next level.
Are you interested?
Easy sausage casserole
It’s tough to say where sausage casserole because different versions of it are found in so many different culinary culture. And why wouldn’t it? It’s such a simple idea, using common ingredients, and a great way to combine available, affordable ingredients into a hearty meal.
It’s also as versatile as a recipe comes. The same basic idea can be adapted to use whatever ingredients you have available. I’ve used my favourites in this recipe, but this is definitely one to make your own!
My recipe can’t be traced to any specific country. I’ve used a British sausage, Spanish chorizo and plenty from Italy as well. But that’s just part of what makes this dish so great!
How to make it
This casserole is a snap to make and requires very little effort.
- Slightly brown the sausages until golden but do not cook all the way through to prevent drying out in the oven. Remove to a plate until later.
- Make the sauce by sautéing sliced onions and red peppers, garlic and thyme, then add chorizo slices or little bits of chorizo (your choice), let it cook briefly only until you see the chorizo releasing the beautiful red colour of paprika into the vegetables.
- Immediately hit them with canned tomatoes. I used one can of cherry tomatoes and one can of passata/crushed tomatoes in the US. You can use regular chopped tomatoes here if you wish. Then flavour the sauce with more smoky paprika and thyme.
- Add the cannellini beans, artichokes and return the sausages to the pan. Cook in the oven uncovered at 200C/400F for 20 minutes. The sprinkle with Parmesan breadcrumbs or Parmesan cheese and broil for 3 minutes until golden.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Feel free to substitute artichokes with olives.
- I used This is an affiliate link.cannellini beans but any type of beans will work here. Butter beans, This is an affiliate link.borlotti beans or chickpeas would be good options.
- Bacon could also be used in place of chorizo. It will lose some of the dynamic flavours that come built into chorizo, but still fantastic!
- Canned cherry tomatoes could be substituted with canned chopped tomatoes. Tomatoes are an important contributor to the flavour so get the best quality variety you can find.
- Instead of breadcrumbs a light sprinkling of cheese will be delicious. Or both together if you can’t choose just one!
Serving Suggestions
Since this sausage bake contains both sausages and beans, you can simply add good crusty bread and a side salad and have yourself a fabulous meal.
This sausage casserole is also saucy and you know what that means. It lends itself beautifully to be poured over rice or couscous. Both are extremely easy to make but couscous definitely wins when it comes to the ease and speed of preparation.
I also love serving with a bit of fresh bread, either classic Dutch oven bread or my tasty garlic bread!
Storage and Leftovers
Got some leftovers? You’re in for a treat. Sausage casserole can improve with a bit of time for the flavours to meld. That makes this a great dish if you want to make a bit extra to serve the next day!
This casserole does extremely well when frozen. It reheats well and doesn’t lose in the quality department one bit. You can keep it for up to three months, and allow to defrost completely before reheating.
It will also store in the fridge for 4-5 days in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container or under plastic wrap.
More hearty casserole recipes
- Chicken Casserole
- Sausage Pasta Bake
- Healthy Tuna Noodles Casserole
- Overnight Breakfast Casserole with Sausage, Chorizo and Eggs
- Tater Tot Casserole
Saucy Sausage Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp This is an affiliate link.olive oil
- 8 Pork sausages such as Cumberland or your favourite
- 1 onion
- 1 red or yellow pepper
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 5-8 slices cured chorizo
- 400g/14oz canned cherry tomatoes
- 400g/14oz passata/crushed tomatoes
- salt to taste
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 400g/14oz canned artichokes, packed in water, or frozen and defrosted
- 400g/14oz canned cannellini beans, drained
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.Parmesan cheese
- 1 sprig thyme, leaves only
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F
- Brown sausages in 1 tbsp of olive oil until golden on all sides but not cooked all the way through. Remove to a separate plate.
- To the same pan add sliced onions, red or yellow peppers and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, then add minced garlic and sliced chorizo, cook for 30 seconds longer until chorizo releases its red paprika colour into the pan. Add both cans of tomatoes, paprika and thyme, salt to taste and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and add halved artichokes, cannellini beans and return the sausages back to the pan. Bake in the preheated oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and the sauce has reduced in volume by a third.
- While the casserole is in the oven mix the breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese and thyme leaves together in a small bowl. After 20 minutes take the casserole out of the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan breadcrumbs, broil/grill for 3 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Dear Julia.
I love your recipes and have made several so far, but I have had to use my own experience to gauge the quantities required, which I find difficult to understand when they are expressed only in figures. Would it be possible to also have metric in the recipes?
I will understand if this not possible but that would not deter me from continuing to make your wonderful dishes.
Hi Derek, all ingredient quantities are given in both metric and imperial measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of each post! I hope this helps.
Mmmm I can almost smell this through through the screen. I can’t wait to see how this turns out, buying the ingredients now.
I hope you love it, Sara!!
The flavors in this dish marry so well! I love the artichokes and sausage with the rich tomato sauce! I might break the mold and have these with cheese pirogi instead of rice or couscous. Very yummy. 🙂
Cheesy Pierogi are such a good addition, Betsy! I might try them myself!
This recipe had me at smoky chorizo. This recipe shows up on a menu quite often, you can’t beat quick and a dish everyone loves!
Aw I am so happy to hear it, Cheryl! Smoky chorizo makes everything extra delicious, doesn’t it!
This seriously may be the best casserole I’ve ever had. The sausage and combo of sausage and veggies is amazing! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Thanks so much, Billy!