Here I’ll show you how to make a classic sausage casserole in the heartiest and most delicious way possible!
If you’re looking for a solid sausage casserole recipe that’s full to the brim with flavour, that you’ll make time and time again, I’ve got you covered. Follow me…
Sausage Casserole Ingredients
The awesome thing about this casserole is that it uses simple, store-bought ingredients, yet it tastes luxuriously delicious. There’s actually not a whole lot of ingredients in general. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Sausages – you’ll want some chunky sausages, just so they hold their own in the casserole. I recommend some ‘neutral’ flavoured sausages, just because there’s so much surrounding flavour; you don’t want too many distractions within the sausage.
- Potatoes – make sure you’re using baby potatoes. They’re waxy and hold up nicely over the long cooking time, unlike floury/baking potatoes.
- Bacon – this pumps heaps of gorgeous, smoky flavour into the sauce and pairs beautifully with the sausages.
- Carrot – this bulks out the casserole and offers some sweetness to balance the richer, saltier flavours.
- Onion & Garlic – both add a nice base flavour for the sauce.
- Tomato – chopped tomatoes help create the sauce, whilst tomato paste helps deepen the flavour.
- Herbs – bay leaves, rosemary and thyme all add a gorgeous herbaceous flavour to the sauce.
- Red Wine – this adds a lovely depth of flavour.
- Worcestershire Sauce – adds a savoury umami flavour to the dish.
- Beef Stock – creates the sauce.
How to make Sausage Casserole
Confession – this is technically more of a stew than a casserole, given that it’s made on the stove. However, it does share a similar texture to an oven-baked casserole, given the thick and luscious texture of the sauce. That and it’s literally cooked in a casserole dish. I just prefer working on the stove, so you get more control over the consistency.
Making the sausage casserole happens in two phases:
- Frying
- Simmering
We’ll begin by frying the sausages and then removing them. You do not need to fully cook them at this point. This is just to brown the outsides and render out some fat. From there, you can fry the bacon and use all the excess fat to fry the onion, carrot and garlic.
Process shots: add sausages (photo 1), fry then remove (photo 2), fry bacon (photo 3), fry carrot, onion and garlic (photo 4).
Once you’ve fried everything, you can add all the remaining ingredients and simmer. The key to this casserole being so delicious is a nice long simmer. Specifically, you’ll want to simmer for 90 minutes with the lid on, then 20 minutes with it off. Here’s why:
- Lid on simmer – the 90 minute simmer is crucial to marry all the flavours together. Keeping the lid on is crucial to ensure it doesn’t reduce and thicken too much.
- Lid off simmer – taking the lid off will allow the steam to escape, which will cause the sauce to thicken.
Process shots: fry tomato paste then reduce wine (photo 5), add all remaining ingredients (photo 6), mix (photo 7), simmer (photo 8).
How to serve Sausage Casserole
To serve, you can pluck out the herb stalks, or just remove them as and when you find them. Because this has potatoes in it, I typically just serve with a hunk of buttered bread!
For more sausage casserole recipes check out my Sausage and Bean Casserole and Cider Sausage Casserole!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this traditional sausage casserole shall we?!
How to make a Sausage Casserole (Full Recipe & Video)
Hearty Sausage Casserole
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Equipment
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Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
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Large Deep Casserole Dish/Pot with Heavy Lid
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Wooden Spoon
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Tongs
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Jug (for stock)
Ingredients
- 12 Pork Sausages (see notes)
- 4 slices of Back Bacon, diced (see notes)
- 3 Carrots, finely diced (200-250g/7-9oz)
- 1 large White Onion, sliced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
- 120ml / 1/2 cup Red Wine (see notes)
- 720ml / 3 cups Beef Stock
- 1x 400g/14oz can of Chopped Tomatoes
- 2 small Bay Leaves (or 1 large)
- 1 large sprig of Fresh Rosemary
- 2-3 sprigs of Fresh Thyme
- 400g / 14oz Baby Potatoes, halved (see notes)
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- Olive Oil, as needed
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
- Buttered Bread, to serve
Instructions
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Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large, deep casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Add the sausages and fry until deep golden and lightly charred, then remove and set aside. Don’t worry about cooking them right through at this point, just focus on browning the outside.
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Add the bacon to the leftover oil and fry until it begins to brown. Add the carrots and onion and fry for a further 3–4 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Stir in the tomato purée and fry for 1–2 minutes, then pour in the red wine. Simmer for 2 minutes until it reduces slightly.
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Pour in the stock, then add the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, potatoes, Worcestershire sauce and sausages. Give it all a good stir, scraping off any flavour from the bottom of the pan, then bring to a gentle simmer. Once simmering, turn the heat down to low, pop on the lid and leave to gently bubble away for 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove the lid, give it a stir, then simmer for a further 20–30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
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Pluck out the rosemary and thyme sprigs and the bay leaves (or just remove them when serving). Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. This is perfect served with some hunks of buttered bread.
Video
Notes
b) Bacon – you can use smoked or unsmoked. For reference, the weight should be around 100-120g/3-4oz.
c) Red Wine – this gives a gorgeous depth of flavour to the casserole. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just so long as it’s dry. If you can’t use alcohol just sub with more stock.
d) Potatoes – don’t sub other floury/baking potatoes. Baby potatoes are waxy, so they hold up nicely with the long simmering time. Baking potatoes will likely crumble apart.
e) Cookbook– this recipe is featured in my debut cookbook ‘Comfy’.
f) Calories – whole recipe divided by 4.
Nutrition
Sausage Casserole FAQ
Yes! Just allow leftovers to completely cool, then tightly cover and store in the fridge for 2–3 days. Reheat in the microwave until piping hot.
Yep – just thaw in the fridge then reheat until piping hot.
You’ll lose out on some depth of flavour, but if you can’t use alcohol at all, you can sub more stock.
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