The whole family will love this slow cooker sausage casserole! Tomato-based, packed with sweet potato, peppers and red onion, and so easy to prepare, it is ideal for the cold months as a family meal.
Now autumn is here I love to be able to use the slow cooker to make my family warming and nutritious slow cooked meals, packed with vegetables.
It is so convenient to put your ingredients in the pot in the morning and come back at the end of the day to a cooked meal.
This sausage casserole recipe is the perfect way to use up any vegetables left in the bottom of the fridge too. If you don’t have a slow cooker you could also make it in a casserole dish/Dutch oven too.
This casserole is hearty and savoury, with a rich tomato-based gravy that goes so well with sausages.
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Ingredients
- sausages – I normally use something like Tesco Finest pork sausages, but any high quality sausage will work. You want a good sausage that will hold its shape during the long cooking time, without going mushy.
- red onions – these add sweetness and flavour to the tomato-based sauce. White or brown onions would also work.
- yellow peppers – adds colour and a little sweetness. You could use a red or orange pepper instead.
- sweet potato – adds a lovely natural sweetness and makes the casserole more filling. Cut into small chunks so it cooks through.
- chopped tomatoes – a standard tin forms the base of the rich tomato sauce.
- tomato puree – adds extra depth and richness to the tomato flavour.
- beef stockpot – I use a rich beef stockpot for flavour. You can substitute a beef stock cube or your preferred beef stock.
- rosemary and oregano – dried herbs add a lovely savoury flavour to the tomato-based sauce.
- cornflour (cornstarch) – optional, for thickening the sauce if needed towards the end of cooking. Mix with a little cold water to make a paste before adding.
Step by step instructions
- Brown the sausages in a pan.
2. Chop the vegetables and place them in the slow cooker pot.
3. Add the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, stock, herbs and mix gently.
4. Place the browned sausages on top, then put on the lid and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
5. Thicken with cornflour if needed, an hour from the end of cooking. When ready, serve with mash or pasta for a warming autumn or winter dish. Green vegetables work really well on the side.
The sauce is full of flavour and ideal for dipping bread into!
Recipe Variations
This casserole is easy to adapt – change up the vegetables based on what you have in the fridge, throw in a tin of cannellini or butter beans, add a handful of red lentils.
You can add beans of your choice to make it a sausage and bean casserole.
Another option is to add potatoes – if doing this, make sure you cut the potatoes into small pieces and put them at the bottom of the pot, to make sure they cook through.
Looking for a creamy twist on classic sausage casserole with mustard and leeks? Try my Slow Cooker Sausage and Leek Casserole.
What to Serve with Sausage Casserole
Sausage casserole goes well with mashed potato, pasta or rice, or I also like it with new potatoes or on top of a jacket potato as well.
Crusty bread and butter to dip in is another delicious option.
Green vegetables like broccoli or peas, those family favourites, are a good match.
How to Store Sausage Casserole
- In the fridge: Allow leftovers to cool, refrigerate promptly in a covered container and use within 48 hours.
- Freezing: Freeze in suitable airtight containers for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before reheating in a saucepan or microwave until piping hot throughout. Only reheat once.
FAQ
Yes, you can freeze this recipe. To reheat, defrost thoroughly in the fridge, then reheat to piping hot in a saucepan or microwave. Never reheat food from chilled in the slow cooker as it does not get hot enough quickly enough. Also never reheat food from frozen in the slow cooker.
The dish looks better when you brown the sausages in a pan first, otherwise they look very anaemic and not appetising. It also adds flavour. If you don’t mind the look of the pale sausages you can skip the browning stage.
I recommend not using frozen meat of any kind in the slow cooker. The slow cooker does not come to temperature quickly enough so food can sit in the danger zone with bacteria multiplying for too long if frozen meat is used instead of fresh. If you have frozen sausages, defrost them fully first.
If you don’t have a slow cooker this sausage casserole can be made in the same way in a casserole dish. To do this, brown the sausages, fry the onions too if desired, then add the ingredients in the same way. Add 200 ml additional water (since the water will evaporate more from a casserole dish). Simmer for 45 minutes on medium heat on the stove top.
The basic cooking times for a slow cooker are 8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. The same applies when cooking sausages, and for this recipe.
More to try
For more slow cooker recipes for family meals, do take a look at my slow cooker lasagne, bolognese sauce, moussaka and cottage pie.
This collection of family slow cooker recipes for kids might also come in useful for you.
Related
Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 sausages see Ingredient notes
- 2 red onions chopped
- 1 yellow pepper chopped
- ½ large sweet potato chopped
- 400 g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 250 ml (1 cup) boiling water
- 1 rich beef stockpot
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp cornflour to thicken if needed
Equipment
Video
Instructions
- Brown the sausages on all sides over high heat in a dry pan.6 sausages
- Chop the vegetables (red onions, yellow pepper, sweet potato) and place them in the slow cooker pot.2 red onions, 1 yellow pepper, ½ large sweet potato
- Add the tomato puree, can of tinned tomatoes, stock, herbs, and mix gently.400 g / 14 oz tin chopped tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato purée, 250 ml / 1 cup boiling water, 1 rich beef stockpot, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 2 tsp dried oregano
- Place the browned sausages on top of the vegetabes and tomato mixture, then put on the lid and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
- An hour before serving, check if the sauce is thick enough. If not, make a paste using 1 tbsp cornflour and a little water, then stir the paste into the pot and let it cook for the last hour, to thicken.1 tbsp cornflour
- Serve with mash or pasta for a warming autumn and winter dish, with green vegetables on the side.
Notes
This is my entry this month for the Slow Cooked Challenge from Janice from Farmersgirl Kitchen (and me!). Do go and check it out for more delicious slow cooked recipes!
C.fisher says
Easy to cook and great tasting !
It went down a treat with my little family.
bakingqueen74 says
That’s great Chris, thanks for leaving a comment.
B.j. Burge says
What type of sausage is used in this recipe?
bakingqueen74 says
I use pork sausages or pork and apple sausages from supermarket best selection normally.
Marie says
Hi, I am going to try this recipe this week for my family of 4 but with teenagers. I am going to double the amount of sausages, I’m just wondering if you need to double the veg quantity too or just a little bit more?
bakingqueen74 says
Great! I personally would increase the veg to suit the needs of your family, depending on how many veggies you think they’ll eat.
Sally says
Made this today with sausages from our local butcher. It smelt so appetising as it cooked and tasted absolutely delicious. Plates were wiped clean with bread to mop up the sauce so none of it was wasted. Will definitely use this recipe again. Thank you
Sophie says
Made this for my family, they wolfed it down. Thank you!
Kate says
Made this for dinner and my kids loved it!
bakingqueen74 says
Brilliant thanks for letting me know!
Fiona Taylor says
Hello,
How many does this recipe serve please?
bakingqueen74 says
Hi, this serves two adults and two kids for us with two sausages for the adults and one each for my children. Increase the sausages if you need a larger portion.
Tracey says
I made this tonight…delicious..will 100% be making it again..❤
bakingqueen74 says
Brilliant, I am so glad you enjoyed it. We love it too
Kate says
Made this tonight, I used cannelloni beans & red lentils as suggested and served with mash & broccoli. Love that you don’t have to do much cooking before putting everything in slow cooker! Quick, easy & delicious! My 2 young daughters even ate it – finally a meal I can cook that the whole family will eat! Look forward to trying some more of your recipes!!
bakingqueen74 says
Brilliant I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it!
Amy says
I made this over the weekend and it was a winner with my DH who isnt much of a sausage casserole fan. He liked that it had sweet potato instead of regular. Trying the slow cooked lighter lasagne today!
bakingqueen74 says
That’s brilliant Amy I am so glad he liked it. Hope the lasagne went well too.
John says
In the ingredients what would “rich beef stockpot” be?
bakingqueen74 says
Are you in the UK? You can buy beef stock melts in small pots, rather than stock cubes, I used the rich beef one. Any stock cube would work, or fresh stock.
John says
In Canada.
I searched and found Knorr Beef Stock Pot – a concentrated beef stock in the UK. Not really / readily available here or the US. In Canada (but not the US) Unilever / Knorr sells Homestyle Stock Bouillon (a broth) which looks similar (and very high in sodium) and I have not seen in stores, though I will now look. Bouillon cubes – dehydrayed bouillon (Canada & US) / Stock cubes (UK) might be able to be made to work …
Linda aka Crafty Gardener says
This looks delicious. I love to use my slow cooker too … wonderful aromas and delicious food.
bakingqueen74 says
Thank you Linda, crockpots are so useful aren’t they
Sarah (@tamingtwins) says
This has just reminded me of how much I love sausage casserole on cold days, must make it next week – thank you!
Ceri @Natural Kitchen Adventures says
This looks delicious!! I haven’t got my slow cooker out yet this year, but its coming soon for sure! Love a good sausage casserole, reminds me of my childhood!
Emily says
You are the slow cooker queen! I love the idea of this. Only really use my slow cooker for slow cooking meat but a casserole needs to be done. Looks so simple but yummy xx
Dannii @ hungry healthy happy says
I am so excited to start using my slow cooker again. I love the addition of sweet potato in your recipe. I love finding ways to add sweet potatoes to any recipe.
knattster says
Oh wow I love sausage casserole. That looks seriously yummy – lovely simple comfort food.