A Feast For The Family.

So this is what I call 'what ever's in my fridge....chuck it all together' sausage casserole. A hearty meal which the whole family should love, the ingredients will change depending on whats in season, on offer, or what you have left in your fridge.

I tend to make it in my slow cooker as i love the connivence of it (not to mention the savings on electricity) but it can also be done in the oven.

So the first and main ingredient is a good pack of quality sausages with a high level pork. Many cheaper sausages have lots of fillers in such as rusk reducing the actual meat content. I managed to pick up some lovely pork and herb sausages from Aldi which are currently on offer a pack of 6 for £1.49!

I always brown my sausages first not only to add colour but to release some of the fat so its not all going in your casserole. Once your sausages are ready its time for the 'what ever's in your fridge' vegetables! Today mine consisted of onion, leek, celery, carrots, pepper and mushrooms. I am lucky to have a father in law who has a large allotment so usually my fridge is full of great seasonal homegrown produce like the leek i am using, adding diced sweet potato or butternut squash is also a favourite of mine. A couple of garlic cloves is a must to add to the flavour as well as a dash of paprika and some died herbs. 

Then for the liquids, firstly a tin of baked beans is so cheap and most people have it in their cupboards. Also kids tend to love anything with baked beans in but this also can be substituted for butter beans or kidney beans. A can of chopped tomatoes to bulk out the sauce and some chicken stock just so that the liquids completely cover the sausages and all the vegetables. If blending for a baby you can miss out the stock and just top up with water to reduce the levels of salt. 

And lastly what makes it extra yummy a glug of balsamic vinegar! 

I bung it all in the slow cooker and leave it for around 7 hours on low, which is the great thing about using the slow cooker i can put the dinner on in the morning and leave it all day and not have to do lots of cooking in the evening. I decided to serve it with some new potatoes and steamed vegetables but it would be equally nice with sweet potato mash or even rice. 

Im always looking for nutritious healthy meals which are tasty and suitable for the whole family. I hope this gives you some inspiration.

As always thanks for reading!

Loulou.