Hearty bean & sausage hotpot

The tomato sauce is what really makes this dish special; it’s rich and delicious and a cinch to whip up.

As a bonus you can also take that part of the recipe and use it in a whole host of other dishes. Use it as the base for a pasta sauce or a comforting slow cooker meal. Here, it’s paired with good-quality sausages and beans for a hearty meal you’ll be coming back to time and time again.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 4 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
• 8 large sausages (course-cut ones like Toulouse or Cumberland are ideal)
• 3 x 400g/14oz cans butter beans
• 1 tbsp black treacle or muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp English mustard

Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bay leaf. Stir in the sugar with some salt. Gently cook for 10-15 minutes until the veg is tender. Stir in the tomatoes and 150ml water. Simmer very gently for 30 minutes until the sauce has reduced by two-thirds and is very thick. Stir occasionally, particularly towards the end of the cooking time, so that the sauce doesn’t catch on the bottom.

2. Meanwhile, in a large casserole, fry the sausages until brown all over – about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, stirring well, then stir in the beans, treacle or sugar and mustard. Bring to the simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Great served with crusty bread or rice.