Sausage Casserole and Rice
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This sausage casserole and rice is an easy tomatoey sausage stew packed with Italian-style flavours from oregano, basil and garlic. It's packed with seasonal vegetables including zucchini ad eggplant and nestled on a bed of rice for a hearty dinner or meal prep. Note - ingredients can be approximate.
Equipment
- Large casserole
- Rice cooker, optional
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) sausages, approx. 6 large, see note 1
- 1 red onion
- ½ eggplant
- 1 zucchini
- 700 g (3 cups) passata, see note 2
- 2 tablespoon oregano
- 6 fresh basil leaves, or 2 tablespoon dried, see note 3
- 4 cloves garlic, or 2 tablespoon jarred, see note 3
- 1 cup packed spinach
- 1 ½ cups rice, yields approx. 4 cups cooked
- Feta + fresh basil, to serve, optional
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Preparing
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Dice the 1 red onion, ½ eggplant and 1 zucchini into bite-sized pieces and add them to a large casserole dish.
- Slice the 500 g (1 lb) sausages (~6 large) into large chunks and add them to the casserole dish. Optional: Brown the sausages in a frying pan first for extra flavour before transferring them to the dish.
- Dice the 6 fresh basil leaves and 4 cloves garlic.
- Add basil, garlic, 700 g (3 cups) passata and 2 tbsp oregano to the casserole. Stir well until everything is evenly coated in the tomato sauce. Add Salt and pepper to taste (recommended at least 1 teaspoon of each)
Cooking
- Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and stir through the 1 cup packed spinach.
- Return to the oven for another 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft, the sauce has thickened slightly and the sausages are fully cooked through.
- While the sausage casserole finishes cooking, prepare the 1 ½ cups rice according to packet instructions.
- Serve the tomato sausage stew over rice with Feta + fresh basil, if using.
Video
Notes
Note 1 - Sausages
The better quality and more flavoursome the sausages, the better the overall flavour of the dish. Bland sausages can make the sauce taste flat.
Note 2 - Passata
Use a passata that is mostly tomato with minimal fillers or added water for a richer tomato sauce.
Note 3 - Fresh basil and garlic
Fresh basil and garlic give the best flavour, but dried basil or jarred garlic can be used for convenience. You may need slightly more to get the same flavour impact.
Storage
Store in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days, ideally keeping the rice and sausage casserole separate where possible.
Reheating
Microwave with a small drizzle of water stirred through to loosen the sauce and help rehydrate the rice.
Freezing
Freeze for up to 3-6 months, preferably with the rice stored separately for the best texture once reheated.
Nutrition
Calories: 597kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 23gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 689mgPotassium: 1235mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1501IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 5mg
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