If you’re a busy mom … wait, aren’t all busy? Maybe you work full time but still love to cook from scratch for the family, then you have come to the right place. As you probably already know, cooking in big batches and freezing is the easiest way to feed the whole family. And there’s nothing more fun and inviting than placing a big plate of hot, home cooked food in the middle of the table and letting everyone dig in.

It is of course nice to experiment with complicated recipes, but as you know, baking in big batches is much easier, quicker and hassle free. You’ll find that making all-in-one casseroles and soups saves you a lot of time; you might find that it even gives you a spare half an hour to read your book, play a quick round of bingo at Cheekybingo.com or catch up on your favorite show (Once Upon a Time for me!).

Below is a great family recipe you are sure to like and best of all it’s pretty easy & fast.

This recipe is perfect for feeding the whole family. Your kids are sure to love the sound of sausage and beans, and it makes a fun Friday night meal.

Bean and sausage casserole

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

8 large sausages – Italian would be best but you could use brats too
1 jar of tomato sauce
3 14oz cans of butter beans – You can use any beans you want or mix it up and add 3 different kinds (I’d use Randall White Beans)
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp English mustard
1 carrot – chopped
1/2 cup of peas
1 onion – chopped
1 teaspoon of tomato paste

Seasonings: Thyme, rosemary, garlic, fennel, salt, and pepper are all options that you can use in this dish.

Method:

In a large casserole dish, fry the onion, chopped carrot and sausages until they are brown all over. This should take about 10 minutes.

Next, pour in the tomato sauce and add in a squeeze of tomato paste. Season well and stir in the beans, along with the sugar and the mustard. Bring the whole casserole to simmering point, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, pour in the peas and cook for a further 5 minutes.

If you double or even triple it you can portion it out and freeze it for busy nights when you don’t have time to make something.

This warming and filling casserole is great served with crusty bread, rice or pasta, and a big green salad.