For such a short ingredients list, this recipe is packed with flavour and something I cook almost weekly for my family (with slight variations). Using sausagemeat instead of mincemeat means instant flavour, and you can use whatever sausages you like (I love the ones with lots of fennel). You could serve this as is, on toast (think nostalgic beans on toast with sausages), or even substitute the beans for mini pasta shells – it’s a malleable and forgiving dish.
Sausage meatballs with caramelised peppers
If you have the time, give the peppers a little longer to cook, to make them extra sweet.
Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
2 tbsp olive oil
6 sausages (about 400g)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 peppers (red, orange or yellow), halved, seeds and pith removed, flesh very finely sliced
Sea salt and black pepper
800g (2 x 400g tins) cannellini beans, drained
½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Put the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-low heat. Squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins directly into the pan; you want roughly mini meatball-shaped and -sized pieces, but don’t worry about being too precise. Fry them for eight to 10 minutes, turning halfway, until golden all over.
Add the garlic, fry for a minute, then add the paprika and sliced peppers. Season generously, stir, then cover and leave to cook for 10 minutes. Take off the lid, turn up the heat a little, and fry for 10 minutes more, until the peppers are sweet and sticky.
Stir in the drained beans just to warm them through, then add the chopped parsley and serve.
