Butterbean and (veggie) sausage cassoulet – heart-healthy and blood sugar-friendly one-pan hero!

Comforting, quick, tasty and healthy – ticks all the mid-week dinner boxes! This is great if you need an introduction to veggie sausages or butter beans.

Using beans helps bulk the dish, reduces the amount of sausages used and increases fibre. Reducing red processed meats such as pork sausages and replacing them with plant-based proteins like butter beans is not only good for your heart health, but it is good for the environment too. Processed red meats are higher in saturated ‘bad’ fats and high intakes are associated with an increased risk of certain cancers and heart disease.

Yes, the veggie sausages are an ultra-processed food – something we don’t want much in our diet. However, it is all about balance and occasionally having these ‘fake meat’ alternatives is fine. For more protein, try to get ones made from soya protein or quorn rather than mushrooms or beetroot.

If you want to use 4-6 pork, turkey or chicken sausages instead you can, just be sure they are cooked fully.

Beans will provide a source of protein that is low in fat and packed with fibre. This makes them great for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

You can make this in advance and heat up again, this allows the flavours to develop!

Serves 4 portions

Ingredients

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 cloves of garlic

2 carrots

2 celery stalks

100ml White/red wine or water or stock

1 tins of butter beans

1 pack of veggie sausages (defrosted if needed)

2 bay leaves dried or fresh // a tsp mixed dried herbs

2 tbsp Tomato paste

1 tin of crushed tomatoes /1 carton of passata

Grated cheese to serve

Serve with mashed sweet potato, high protein flatbread recipe or pasta.

** Feel free to freestyle with the veggies, onion/ aubergine/peppers/courgette/mushrooms would all work well!

Method

1. Chop the garlic finely and the carrots and celery into small cubes.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan a low heat and cook the garlic, carrots and celery for 10 minutes. Feel free to add a diced onion or any other veg you want here too.

3. Chop the sausages into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan with the wine, water or stock. Add the bay leaves and tomato paste. Stir well to combine and cook for another 5 minutes.

4.  Add the crushed tomatoes/pasta, mix well and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on.

5. Take the lid off and cook for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce.

6. Take out the bay leaves – don’t eat them! And serve.