BRILLIANT BUTTER BEAN AND VEGGIE SAUSAGE STEW

I think the best thing about the winter months is that you can crack out the soup and stew recipes and whip up a bowl of comfort in less than an hour. This veggie sausage stew is also very good for those trying to lose a few Christmas lbs. It's packed with an array of vegetables such onions, celery, sweetcorn and spinach as well as a tin of delicious butter beans and just simmers away on the hob whilst you crack with your evening so by the time you come to serve, the sausages will of soaked up the chili paprika sauce and become proper plump and moist.

Not that you have to use veggie sausages. If you are a carnivore you can pop in pork sausages if you like but you do reduce the calories in this dish by replacing pork sausages with veggie ones. You don't have to use butter beans either. A tin of cannolini beans will work just as well and maybe even kidney beans if you want to give the stew a Mexican twist.

Make sure you keep the onion and celery in there as they act as the base to your stew. The frozen sweetcorn and spinach I use as they are so tasty and so easy to just chuck in at the end and warm through, packing your stew with lots of the good stuff. If you want to use fresh then feel free or you can use some different vegetables instead if you wish. Frozen broad beans would probably work well or some diced carrots with the paprika would also be most tasty!

My recipe below will make enough for 4 people. If there is less of you then don't worry; you can also pack the leftovers up for your lunch the next day.

Veggie Sausage And Butter Bean Stew

1 Diced Red Onion

1 Grated Garlic Clove

1 Chopped Celery Stalk

1 Diced Yellow Pepper

6 Veggie Sausages

2 400g Tins Chopped Tomatoes

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

1 Tsp Chili Flakes

Salt And Pepper To Season

1 400g Tin Butter Beans

1 Large Handfull Frozen Sweetcorn

1 Large Handfull Frozen Spinach

1. Place a large casserole dish on the hob and add in a tbsp of oil. Turn the heat up to medium and allow the oil to heat up before adding the onions and garlic and fry until the onions begin to soften.
2. Add in the celery and peppers and fry for five minutes before adding in the sausages and frying for a few minutes until the sausages brown slightly on the outside.
3. Add in the chopped tomatoes, cumin, paprika and chili flakes before seasoning well with the salt and pepper and give everything a good mix together. Bring the pot to a boil andthen reduce to a simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from catching. Taste and season more if you think it is needed.
4. Add in the butter beans, sweetcorn and spinach and simmer for around 5 minutes until all the vegetables and the beans have warmed through.

Dish the stew straight out into bowls and serve whilst still piping hot with some hefty chunks of warm buttered bread to mop up all that delicious red sauce. Speaking of the sauce, having simmered for nearly one hour it should have reduced and the smoked flavor will really shine through followed by a slight chili kick from the flakes and a curry like warmth from the cumin. It all works together so well. The sausages should be nice and plump having essentially poached in the stew whilst the veg and beans keep everything fresh and give you your five a day without you even noticing. Now that is brilliant!