Tomato, sausage and lentil cassoulet with basil

Everybody has those ‘clear-out-the-fridge’ days and more often than not they happen at the end of the month. I relish the challenge of these days! For me, a cook is only worth his or her salt if they can turn the most average ingredients into something utterly delicious. It’s easy to walk into a supermarket with a recipe and then purchase the freshest ingredients, but to open a half-bare cupboard and turn a few odds ‘n ends into a special meal is tricky. This is my quick, budget version of cassoulet which is really a very fancy French name for meat and bean stew. Traditional cassoulet is usually made with sausages and white beans, mine however features barley and lentils (because that’s what I had in my cupboard). What is your finest ‘clear-out-the-fridge’ creation?

Photography and styling by Katelyn Williams

Tomato, sausage and lentil cassoulet with basil

Serves 4

Olive oil

300g cocktail pork sausages

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 large garlic clove, crushed

½ glass white wine (drink the rest of the bottle)

2 bay leaves

1 cup baby tomatoes, halved

1 tin chopped tomatoes

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tin green lentils, drained

1 cup cooked barley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

handful fresh basil leaves

crumbled feta, to serve

Heat a little olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the pork sausages over medium low heat until golden and cooked through. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow to evaporate completely. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes (halved and tinned) with the paprika. Allow to simmer gently and reduce slightly. Add the lentils and barley and season well.  Serve in bowls with torn fresh basil leaves and crumbled feta. 

And yes, every now and then I do take a break between eating chocolate and cupcakes to cook something savoury and healthy :)