This Italian Sausage Casserole is delicious and loaded with flavors from meat, herbs and vegetables! A healthy and yummy option for those in a gluten-free and low-carb diet, too!

Last November we went to England because of a family emergency. While we were there we met up with some of our friends. We only get to see them when we come to the UK for a visit so when we are over we make sure we meet at least once. One of the Sundays we were in London we attended worship service at St. Helen's, part of the Church of England denomination. Our friend attends this church regularly and we all decided to have dinner together after the evening service. After our souls were fed, we wondered where to get some physical nourishment. Thankfully, we didn't have to go too far to find a restaurant as St. Helen's, on Sunday nights, offers a dining service in one of its buildings for a very reasonable price. And the food was really good!!!

You're probably thinking, where am I going with this narrative? Well, the food was so delicious - I decided I have to replicate it at home! So you are looking at the sausage casserole inspired by the dish we had at St. Helen's. Perhaps it was those tasty British sausages that made the casserole so yummy! I loved that it was a pretty healthy casserole, too - no cream, no cheese but loaded with spinach and perfectly seasoned tomato sauce!

Too bad we don't have access to delicious British sausages where we are but, thankfully, we do get really good Italian sausages so while both dishes may vary a little in taste because of this - I believe I copied the essence of that yummy dish which to this day I haven't forgotten!  And it's so easy to make as well! While this calls for cooking the casserole in the oven, you can simply simmer the sauce on the stove top, too. Just make sure to check that the sauce doesn't dry up so cook it on the lowest setting and make sure it's covered as well.

The first time I made this, I didn't have spinach but only some basil but the next time I added some spinach for more bulk, flavor and extra nutrients, too. The photos reflect the first time I made this. This hearty dish is great with rice, pasta or with roasted or mashed potatoes!





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Italian Sausage Casserole

By: Manila Spoon
Published:  01/19/2017

This Italian Sausage Casserole is delicious and loaded with flavors from meat, herbs and vegetables! A healthy and yummy option for those in a gluten-free and low-carb diet, too!

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (about 10-12 pieces) good quality Italian Sausages, left whole or sliced into bite sized pieces if preferred
• 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 large Onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 8 oz Mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup dry red Wine (use gluten-free if on that diet)
• 1 8 oz cooking Spinach, fresh or frozen (if frozen, defrost and drain well)
• 2 cups unsalted crushed Tomatoes (can use canned Tomatoes)
• 3 fresh Sprigs of Rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dried or to taste)
• 2 Bay leaves
• Handful of fresh Basil (optional but encouraged!)
• Salt, pepper and a little sugar (latter is optional and maybe left-out if doing low-carb), to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the olive oil in an oven safe casserole (like a cast iron or Dutch oven) and brown the sausages (whole or sliced). Transfer the sausages to a plate.
2. In the same pan, saute the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes. Pour in the red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the brown bits on the bottom of the casserole dish. Add the fresh or frozen spinach and cook until wilted. Turn off the heat.
3. Add the mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, rosemary and bay leaves. Season with a little salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the sausages back to the casserole dish. Give a quick stir. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.
4. If using fresh Basil, stir them into the casserole and cook for another 3-5 minutes in the oven. To enhance the flavor some more stir in a teaspoon or 2 of sugar. The last step is optional especially, if doing a low-carb diet. Enjoy over some pasta or rice!!

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 40 mins.
Total time: 50 mins.
Tags: Italian, Sausage, Casserole, Main Dish, Low-Carb, Gluten-Free