Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 8 good quality pork sausages
• ½ yellow pepper, de-seeded and chopped
• ½ red pepper, de-seeded and chopped
• 100g of mushrooms, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 jar of passata
• 250ml of vegetable stock
• 1 handful of chopped basil
• 1 tsp of sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 1kg of potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 50g of butter
• 50g of mature cheddar cheese

• Heat the oven to 220°C (gas mark 7). Drizzle the olive oil in a roasting tin, and add the sausages, pepper, mushrooms, garlic and red onion. Roast for 20 minutes.
• Remove the roasting tin and cut the sausages in quarters. Lower the oven temperature to 200°C (gas mark 6), then pour in the passata, stock and stir in the sugar and the basil. Season well with the salt and pepper.
• Roast for a further 15 minutes. Meanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and then put the potatoes back on the pan so the excess moisture is removed.
• Mash the potatoes with the butter and the cheese.
• Remove the roasting tin and transfer the sausage casserole to an ovenproof dish. And then top with the cheesy mash.
• Transfer back into the oven for 15 minutes until the potato is golden on top

Make Chicken & pancatta cassorole: then make

Chicken & vegetable pie

Chicken & pancatta lasagne

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• 300g of pancetta or chopped smoked bacon
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped in slices
• 200g of mushrooms
• 1.2 kg of chicken breasts, skinned
• Large knob of butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 tsp of cornflour
• 2 ½ pints of chicken stock

100g of Boursin (if you are serving a portion on the day you made it)

For a family of four serve a third of this casserole as itself with some crispy roast potatoes and a selection of fresh vegetables.

• Cook the chicken in a frying pan in a little olive oil for 10 to 15 minutes until thoroughly cooked. Remove and set to one side.
• In the same frying pan add a little more oil if required and cook the pancetta and onion for approximately 5 minutes, until soft. Then add the chopped leeks, mushrooms and butter and stir, seasoning well.
• Turn the heat down to medium and cover the pan, leaving for about 30 minutes on a medium heat to slowly cook the vegetables.
• When the vegetables are soft, add the chicken and the stock. Leave to simmer for a further 10 minutes and then stir in the cornflour which has been mixed with a little cold water to form a paste.
• Leave to simmer until the sauce thickens. Remove the casserole that you want to re-use another time and either freeze or chill.
• With the remaining casserole that you are eating, stir in 100g of Boursin cheese to give it a lovely creamy flavour.

Ingredients

• 12 fresh lasagne sheets (alternatively you can use dried cannelloni tubes).
• 1 batch of Basic Ragu
• 2 tablespoons of butter (plus a little extra for the spinach)
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 400ml of milk
• 1 tbsp grated parmesan
• 3 large handfuls of spinach (washed)
• 300g of ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 200g of grated mozzarella

Method
• Pre-heat the oven to 200°c (gas mark 6)
• To make the cheese sauce, heat the butter in a pan until melted and then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour.
• Turn the heat to low and return the pan to the heat. Continue cooking the flour in the butter for a couple of seconds and then add the milk. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
• In a separate pan add a little olive oil and the spinach. Cover with a lid and lit it wilt for a minute or so.
• Remove from the heat and drain. Then mix the spinach, ricotta and the egg in the bowl and then spoon the mixture onto the fresh lasagne sheets and roll. Alternatively stuff the cannelloni tubes with the spinach and ricotta.
• Pour the Ragu into an ovenproof dish and then top with the cannelloni tubes, layering them side by side.
• Top with the white sauce and then the mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the oven for approximately 40 to 45 minutes until the cheese is golden.

This Ragu forms the basis of many tasty recipes and is also a good way of getting your family to eat healthily as there are many vegetables hidden in the sauce. It will freeze for up to 3 months if you place it in sealed plastic bags. You can either defrost it in the microwave, in a bowl of room temperature water or overnight in the fridge.

Using this ragu, you can go on to make 3 other recipes available on this site – Spaghetti Bolognese, Beef and Spinach Cannelloni and Chilli Con Carne – so explore the options and enjoy!

Ingredients (cook once – makes 3 dishes)

Olive oil
1.5 kg of lean minced beef
300g of pancetta (or smoked bacon)
3 onions (chopped)
4 garlic cloves (chopped)
3 large carrots (chopped)
3 sticks of celery (chopped)
3 tbsp of plain flour (remove)
600g of chopped tomatoes
400g of passata
350ml of beef stock
150ml of red wine
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp of dark brown sugar

Tip: Due to the large amount of vegetables that need chopping, it will be easier to use a food processor. Cut your vegetables into quarters and then pulse a couple of times until completely chopped. Even smaller ingredients such as garlic cloves can be chopped this way.

Method
• In a large pan or casserole dish, heat the oil and gently fry the onions, pancetta, carrot, celery and garlic for approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the mince and cook for another 5 minutes until browned.You may need to do this in two pans and then add everything into a larger one when it is ready.
• Mix in the passata, tomatoes, beef stock and the brown sugar and then season to taste.
• Cover and then let it simmer on a low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• If you are using a slow cooker transfer all the ingredients in to the pot and turn it to an auto setting. Cook for a minimum of 6 hours.
• Separate into three batches to make three meals and freeze or chill depending on when you are going to use it.