Sausage and Bean Casserole

This is a really simple easy to make but very flavourful sausage casserole, especially if you use good quality sausages. I had some nice plump Northumberland Sausages from a farm shop.

Sausage and Bean Casserole (from Good Food Magazine October 2011)
(Serves 4)

1 tbsp vegetable oil
8 pork sausages
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
400g can butter beans
400g can baked beans in tomato sauce
½ small bunch thyme
200ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
2 slices white bread, whizzed to crumbs

Heat half the oil in a large casserole dish, then brown the sausages all over. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining oil, tip the veg into the dish and fry for 10 mins. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min more.

Heat oven to 200C. Return the sausages to the pan with the beans, thyme and some seasoning, then pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, sprinkle over the breadcrumbs, then bake in the oven for 25-30 mins until the crumbs are golden and the stew is bubbling.