Sausage, bacon & bean stew
Ingredients:
Sunflower or veg oil
6 sausages
Pack of back bacon, each rasher trimmed of fat and cut into about 3 pieces
2 onions, thinly sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Small tin sweetcorn, drained
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½–1 tsp mild chilli powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
400g tin chopped tomatoes
300ml rich chicken stock
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g tin beans (kidney/butter/haricot - take your pick or mix & match!), drained and rinsed
400g tin chickpeas, drained & rinsed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large deep frying pan/pot/casserole dish on the hob and fry the sausages gently for about 10 mins, turning until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Fry the bacon in the same pan until starting to turn pink and producing lots of 'juice' then set aside with the sausages.
Fry the onions to the same pan over a medium heat ]until they start to soften, stirring often.
Add the garlic to the onions and cook for another 2–3 mins
Sprinkle over the chilli powder and paprika and fry together with the onion and garlic for another min longer.
Stir in the tomatoes, stock, tomato purée and bring to a simmer.
Tip the sausages & bacon back into the pan and return to a simmer.
Add the mushrooms until they have released their water and reduced in size.
Reduce the heat, cover the pan loosely and leave to simmer gently for 15 mins, stirring from time to time. Stir in the beans, chickpeas and sweetcorn and continue to cook for 15 mins, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick.
Season with salt and ground black pepper.
Leave to cool, portion up and place in freezer.
This makes 2 large portioned meals for 3 of us, but could easily stretch to 4 (my DH gorges on this dish!).
Can be served with crusty bread, mash potato or rice.