Recipes › Chilli Pepper (Mild) › Mild Chilli Pepper, Cannellini Bean and Sausage Casserole
Mild Chilli Pepper, Cannellini Bean and Sausage Casserole
This is the kind of autumn casserole you make when you have a glut of chillies and want something that feels properly substantial. A full half-kilogram of mild chilli peppers are cooked down until they collapse into a thick, sweet, smoky sauce that coats tender white beans and good pork sausages. It needs only some crusty bread alongside to be a complete meal.
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Ingredients
- 550 g Mild chilli peppers, thickly sliced into 1.5cm rings, seeds removed
- 8 Good quality pork sausages, left wholeuse gluten-free sausages to make this gluten-free
- 2 Cannellini beans, 400g tins, drained and rinsedbutter beans work just as well
- 400 g Tinned chopped tomatoes
- 2 Onions, halved and sliced
- 4 Garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 tsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Fennel seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 tsp Dried thyme
- 150 ml Dry white winesubstitute with chicken stock if preferred
- 200 ml Chicken stock
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 20 g Flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Contains: sulphites.
Method
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy-based casserole or deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown the sausages in batches, turning occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until golden all over. They do not need to be cooked through at this stage. Remove and set aside.About 8 min
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until softened and starting to turn golden.About 10 min
- Add the garlic, smoked paprika, fennel seeds and dried thyme to the onions. Stir and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.About 2 min
- Add the sliced mild chilli peppers and stir well to coat in the spiced onion base. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chillies start to soften.About 5 min
- Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes, scraping up any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tinned tomatoes and chicken stock, stir well and bring to a simmer.About 3 min
- Nestle the browned sausages back into the pan and add the drained cannellini beans. Push everything under the liquid as much as possible. Cover with a lid and cook on a low simmer for 25 minutes.About 25 min
- Remove the lid for the final 10 minutes of cooking to allow the sauce to thicken and concentrate. The sausages should be completely cooked through and the chilli peppers very tender. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Scatter with parsley if using and serve with crusty bread.About 10 min
Tips
- Do not skip browning the sausages first — that caramelised crust adds a depth of flavour that you simply cannot get from poaching them directly in the sauce.
- The mild chillies will cook down considerably and become almost jammy. If you want some textural contrast, hold back a quarter of them and stir them in for the last 10 minutes only.
- This is significantly better the next day once the flavours have had time to meld. Make it ahead if you can.
Ring the changes
- Use merguez or chorizo sausages instead of pork for a smokier, spicier result — reduce the smoked paprika to 1 teaspoon in that case.
- Make it fully vegetarian by using vegetarian sausages and vegetable stock; add an extra tin of beans to keep it filling.
Keeping it
Cool completely and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the hob with a splash of water or stock to loosen. Freezes well for up to 3 months.
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