This is my Easy Sausage Stew and it's inspired by French Cassoulet, a gorgeous stew that I grew up on, in France. The stew is made from bacon, sausages, celery, carrots, chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, and bay leaves for seasoning. It's then topped with my secret flavour bomb - sour cream and wholegrain mustard - and chopped parsley. Delicious served alone or with mashed potato.
There are dozens of ways to make a comforting sausage stew. However, I do believe that this way is the best. It's simple, easy to make, and tastes delicious. Further down this blog, I provide all of the ingredients listed and substitutions so that you can easily make this dish even if you don't have all the ingredients. I really hope you enjoy it!
For those of you looking for more stew-type recipes, why not check out my Beef Stew and Dumplings recipe, a great comforting dish. For something inspired by the French, my French Onion Soup Chicken Casserole is always a winner. And for another bean-y recipe, my sausage kale and white bean soup is super simple to rustle up for dinner.
If you're looking for a thanksgiving or Christmas lunch option, my stuffed chicken breast with stuffing is such a crowd-pleaser.
Need a vegan option for the festive period? Why not try my vegan stroganoff made with mushrooms, it's creamy and takes less than 30 minutes to make!
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Why you'll love this recipe
Simple: You only need one pan for this dish which means minimal washing up and low effort.
Great for a dinner party: You can cook this sausage stew in advance and then leave it on low heat while your guests arrive. They'll then be taken to flavour town with this delicious dish.
Meal Prep: Double or triple the quantities of this recipe to make it for the rest of the week. Store in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer ready for when you need a quick meal.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Onion: I used red onion for this recipe but feel free to use a white onion or a couple of shallots.
Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are perfect for this recipe. If you don't have fresh garlic, garlic granules will do.
Bacon: I used smoked lardons for this recipe which are small pieces or cubes of pork belly. But using smoked bacon and cutting it into small pieces is also great.
Sausages: the herbier the sausages, the better in my opinion. If you're wanting to be more authentically French, I'd recommend getting Toulouse Sausage (where Cassoulet was born, and also where I lived in France!!). But any herby thick sausage will do.
Carrots: We're using three medium sized carrots for this recipe. If you don't like carrots, you could add in sweet potato or squash.
Celery: Creating a lovely sofrito-style flavour, celery is a pretty vital ingredient for this. If you don't like celery, feel free to omit it.
Bay Leaves: for a lovely aromatic herby flavour. If you don't have bay leaves, I'd recommend adding in some thyme and/or oregano.
Tinned tomatoes: I've used peeled plum tomatoes that gently simmer down when cooked. You could also use fresh tomatoes.
Beans: we're using haricot beans for this recipe, but cannellini beans, white beans, or green lentils are also a great alternative.
Chicken stock: I've used a regular Knorr chicken stock cube with 400ml water. You could use chicken broth, beef broth, veggie broth, or pork broth!
Toppings: sour cream mixed with wholegrain mustard. And chopped parsley for garnish!
Step by step instructions with photos
Step 1: Place a pot or deep pan on medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add in your chopped onion, garlic, and lardons (bacon). Fry for 5 minutes stirring frequently.
Step 2: Add your sausages into the pan and break them apart with a wooden spoon. Fry for 5 minutes and stir frequently.
Step 3: Add in your chopped carrots and celery and fry for a few minutes. Then add in your plum tomatoes, beans, and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Give everything a good mix then add in your bay leaves. Leave to simmer on medium for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Stir your sausage stew every few minutes to prevent the stew from catching or sticking to the pan. After 30 minutes, the stew should have thickened to a lovely consistency. Taste the stew and season with salt and pepper according to your preference.
Step 5: In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and wholegrain mustard. Divide your sausage stew between 4 plates and then top with your sour cream mustard. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and enjoy!
What to do with leftovers
Storage: Leave your sausage stew to cool and then transfer into airtight containers. Place in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Once again, leave your sausages stew to cool and then place in airtight containers. Make sure to label your containers and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat, leave to thaw/defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheating: Either you can leave the container lid ajar and heat in the microwave until piping hot. Or place the stew into a pan and onto low heat. Stir frequently and cook for 5-10 minutes until piping hot.
FAQs
There are dozens of ways to make sausage stew. My personal favourite is inspired by French cassoulet. We're using bacon, sausages, carrots, celery, beans, and tomatoes. Seasoned with bay leaves, salt and pepper!
Add a sprinkling of plain flour to the stew and leave to thicken.
I personally love using herby Cumberland sausages. You could also use Toulouse Sausages that are garlicky and delicious. Chorizo sausage would add a lovely kick to the stew if you'd prefer that too!
Other recipes you might enjoy!
If you tried this Easy Sausage Stew recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thank you!
Easy Sausage Stew
Ingredients
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 150g lardons or smoked bacon, chopped
- 400g sausages around 6 sausages
- 3 carrots chopped into ½ cm slices
- 3 celery sticks sliced
- 400g tinned plum tomatoes (canned tomatoes)
- 400g tinned haricot beans or canned cannellini beans
- 400ml chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
Toppings
- 4 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
- 5g parsley chopped
Instructions
- Place a pot or deep pan on medium heat and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add in your chopped onion, garlic, and lardons (bacon). Fry for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Season with a big pinch of salt and grind of pepper.
- Add your sausages into the pan and break them apart with a wooden spoon into bite-sized pieces. Fry for 5 minutes and stir frequently.
- Add in your chopped carrots and celery and fry for a few minutes. Then add in your plum tomatoes, beans, and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Give everything a good mix then add in your bay leaves. Leave to simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes.
- Stir your sausage stew every 5-10 minutes to prevent the stew from catching or sticking to the pan. After 30 minutes, the stew should have thickened to a lovely consistency. Taste the stew and season with salt and pepper according to your preference.
- In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and wholegrain mustard. Divide your sausage stew between 4 plates and then top with your sour cream mustard. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and enjoy!
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