Winter Recipes - Italian Sausage, Pepper + Butter Bean Bake with Vanessa Gordon

Italian pork sausages, red and yellow peppers, and butter beans come together in this comforting trans-seasonal one-pan dish. Start the dish on the stovetop by sauteing the onion and peppers until soft, much like you would for a pepperonata, giving an extra layer of flavour before adding the sausages and finishing in the oven. Everything comes together in just under an hour, and best of all you can serve straight from oven to table. Enjoy with the leftover bread crusts (from making fresh breadcrumbs) to mop up the juices. 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, sliced
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 5 sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• pinch chilli flakes
• pinch sea salt flakes and cracked black pepper
• 1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 x 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
• ⅓ cup stock (or water)
• 6 x Italian pork sausages
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes

For the breadcrumbs

• half a loaf of day old bread
• 4 sprigs parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pinch sea salt flakes

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C fan-forced (200 conventional).
2. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large oven-safe saute pan or cast iron dish. Add onion and peppers and saute over medium heat until onion has softened, about 3-5 minutes. 
3. Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and pepper, and chilli flakes. Stir everything together and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. 
4. Next, add tomatoes, butter beans and stock. Stir everything together and bring to a gentle simmer. Place sausages on top, then scatter cherry tomatoes and herbs. Cook in the oven for 35 minutes, turning the sausages over halfway through so they cook evenly.
5. To make the breadcrumbs, roughly tear apart the day-old bread into small pieces (use the inside only and save crusts for later), then toss with finely chopped parsley, olive oil and a pinch of salt. 
6. Scatter the mixture over the top of the sausages and return to the oven. Turn the oven to grill function and cook until the breadcrumbs are golden, about 5 minutes. 
7. Serve straight from the oven to the table, with the leftover bread crusts for mopping up the sauce.