A Simple Sausage Supper

baked sausages with white beans & cauliflower-2

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While this does take time to cook, the actual active time is only about 5 minutes. So don’t be put off.

Feel free to play around with this idea and make it your own. There are so many possibilities. You could ditch the beans and roast some chopped parsnip or carrots instead. Or change the vibe completely with zucchini and cherry tomatoes.

enough for 2
takes: 60 minutes
2 red onions, peeled & cut into 8 wedges
1/2 cauliflower (500g / 1lb), chopped into bite sized pieces
bunch thyme, optional
4 good quality sausages
1 can white beans (400g / 14oz)

1. Preheat oven to 200C (400F). Place onion, cauliflower thyme and sausages in a medium baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil.

2. Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.

3. Add beans and the liquid from the can. Turn sausages over.

4. Bake for another 20-30 minutes or until sausages are cooked and the vegetables are tender. If it looks like it’s drying out too much add 1/4 cup water. Serve.

Quantities for Different Serving Sizes

This easily increases or decreases without any problems. As long as everything fits in the roasting dish in a layer.

Prepare Ahead?

You could easily cook in advance, refrigerate for up to a week before reheating in the oven.

Variations

vegan / vegetarian – replace the sausages with firm tofu cut into large chunks (make sure you season the tofu generously) or 4 medium portabello mushrooms. You could also skip the sausage and serve with a poached egg.

fun – play around with the vegetables. Parsnip, garlic, carrot, beetroot, tomato, zucchini or red peppers (capsicum) would all work.

carnivore fun – try different types of sausages. I’d love to get some fresh chorizo (not dried) and cook with onion, tomato & chilli.

carb lovers / more substantial – serve with mashed or steamed potato.

paleo (gluten, grain + dairy-free) – replace beans with diced carrot or steamed potatoes and 1/2 cup stock.

more veg – serve with a green salad.

short on time – Pan fry sausages, onions and beans. Skip the cauli.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

onion – will keep in the pantry for months. Best if in a dark corner in a brown paper bag.

frozen cauliflower – keep it in the freezer.

thyme – keeps for ages in a plastic bag in the fridge or even longer in the freezer.

sausages – freeze them.

beans – keep them in the pantry.

Problem Solving Guide

too bland – season with salt & pepper.

too dry – add a little water, stir well in the dish to scrape up any lovely pan pieces and cook for another 5 minutes. Or just serve with some lemon juice and a generous drizzle of olive oil.

burning – the only trick is to make sure the pan doesn’t dry out too much during the second stage of cooking. Keep an eye on it and if you think it’s starting to burn, add more water 1/4 cup at a time.

veggies too crunchy – fresh cauli will take longer to cook than frozen, but still should be OK. Next time cut the veg into smaller pieces so they cook quicker

shriveled sausages – when sausages overcook they tend to go all wrinkly, next time cook them less, turn more often, or start the first stage of cooking with everything covered in foil.