Sausages With Beans and Peppers
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLISSIMAIntroduction
This recipe uses Italian sausages, and I specify them advisedly; being 100% meat and loosely packed, they cook much faster than the densely-woven, finer-textured English sausage. If you are making this with regular sausages, you may want to add a couple of cloves of minced garlic to the sauce.
Feel free to use whatever canned beans you have in the cupboard; borlotti or cannellini would be just fine, too. Similarly, standard canned tomatoes can replace the cherry tomatoes. Don't be tempted, however, to omit the flame-roasted peppers. Their flavour — the sweetness and smokiness — is essential.
This recipe uses Italian sausages, and I specify them advisedly; being 100% meat and loosely packed, they cook much faster than the densely-woven, finer-textured English sausage. If you are making this with regular sausages, you may want to add a couple of cloves of minced garlic to the sauce.
Feel free to use whatever canned beans you have in the cupboard; borlotti or cannellini would be just fine, too. Similarly, standard canned tomatoes can replace the cherry tomatoes. Don't be tempted, however, to omit the flame-roasted peppers. Their flavour — the sweetness and smokiness — is essential.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- 1 x 15ml tablespoon olive oil
- 450 grams Italian sausages (6 in number)
- 60 millilitres red vermouth (do use stock, if preferred)
- 2 x 400 gram cans butter beans (drained) - but do see intro
- 1 x 290 gram jar of flame roasted peppers (drained and scissored into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 x 400 gram can cherry tomatoes in juice
- 3 bay leaves
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausages (6 in number)
- ¼ cup red vermouth (do use stock, if preferred)
- 2 x 14oz cans butter beans (drained) - but do see intro
- 1 cup flame roasted bell peppers (drained and scissored into bite-sized pieces)
- 1 x 14oz can cherry tomatoes in juice
- 3 bay leaves
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
Method
- Heat the oil in a shallow, flameproof casserole or heavy-based saucepan that comes with a lid, and brown the sausages, bearing in mind that Italian sausages do not colour hugely.
- Take the pan off the heat for a moment, and pour in the red vermouth (or stock), then put it back on the heat and let the vermouth bubble up a bit, before adding the drained beans, the drained, snipped peppers and the can of tomatoes.
- Now, take the emptied can of tomatoes and half-fill with water, then throw this in, too, before adding the bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a bubble, then turn the heat down to low, clamp on a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes until the sausages are cooked through.
- Remove the lid, turn up the heat a bit and simmer robustly for 5 further minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Now, take off the heat altogether, then — using tongs, for ease — remove the sausages to a chopping board and cut them into thick slices, on a gentle diagonal if you can. You can leave them whole, but they go further sliced. Return the sausage slices to the pan and dish out from there, or ladle the beans into shallow bowls, adding the sliced sausages on top. Either way, serve with hunks of bread for people to dunk as they eat.
- Heat the oil in a shallow, flameproof casserole or heavy-based saucepan that comes with a lid, and brown the sausages, bearing in mind that Italian sausages do not colour hugely.
- Take the pan off the heat for a moment, and pour in the red vermouth (or stock), then put it back on the heat and let the vermouth bubble up a bit, before adding the drained beans, the drained, snipped peppers and the can of tomatoes.
- Now, take the emptied can of tomatoes and half-fill with water, then throw this in, too, before adding the bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a bubble, then turn the heat down to low, clamp on a lid and let it simmer for 15 minutes until the sausages are cooked through.
- Remove the lid, turn up the heat a bit and simmer robustly for 5 further minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Now, take off the heat altogether, then — using tongs, for ease — remove the sausages to a chopping board and cut them into thick slices, on a gentle diagonal if you can. You can leave them whole, but they go further sliced. Return the sausage slices to the pan and dish out from there, or ladle the beans into shallow bowls, adding the sliced sausages on top. Either way, serve with hunks of bread for people to dunk as they eat.
Additional Information
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead. Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated within 2 hours of making. Eat within 3 days, reheated in a microwave or saucepan until piping hot all of the way through.
MAKE AHEAD / STORE:
It is not advisable to make ahead. Leftovers should be covered and refrigerated within 2 hours of making. Eat within 3 days, reheated in a microwave or saucepan until piping hot all of the way through.
Tell us what you think
Thank you {% member.data['first-name'] %}.
Explore more recipesYour comment has been submitted.
What 3 Others have said
-
Posted by RHitch on 16th October 2025
-
Posted by joshv41680 on 9th May 2021
-
Posted by SLloyd on 11th March 2021
Show more commentsI couldn't get Italian sausages so used Moroccan sausages from the butcher. They worked a treat and I'd definitely use them again. The next day I whizzed up the leftovers to make a delicious soup, so delicious that next time I'd be tempted to go straight to soup, it really was that good!
This is the recipe you want when you need something sensational, but don't have a lot of time. This turns out spicy, sweet, and utterly delicious! If you have more time, serve it with the Garlic and Parsley Hearthbreads from "Domestic Goddess." This turns it into the perfect Saturday dinner!
A regular family meal, served with either mash or fresh crusty bread. Lovely flavours and it freezes/reheats well too.