Description

This Slow Cooker Sausage and Pepper Casserole is a comforting and hearty one-pot meal featuring thick Cumberland sausages simmered with sweet red bell peppers, onions, carrots, and a rich tomato-based sauce enhanced with smoked paprika and Worcestershire sauce. Perfect for a hands-off cooking day, it delivers deep flavors and tender sausages with minimal effort, ideal for serving alongside creamy mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

Scale

Vegetables

1 large onion – peeled and thinly sliced
1 large carrot – peeled and cut into small dice
2 red bell peppers – stalks and seeds removed and sliced
2 fat cloves of garlic – peeled and minced or finely chopped

Meat

8 good-quality thick Cumberland sausages

Liquids and Sauces

1 tablespoon of tomato puree (tomato paste in the US)
1 x 400g can (14oz) good-quality tomatoes (e.g., Cirio brand)
1 x Knorr chicken stock pot diluted in 200ml hot water
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

Seasonings and Oils

Vegetable oil (for frying, approx. 2 tablespoons)
1½ teaspoons sweet smoked paprika
A big pinch of black pepper (no additional salt needed due to stock pot)

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Instructions

Cook the vegetables: Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over low heat. Add the sliced onions, diced carrots, sliced red bell peppers, and minced garlic. Stir occasionally and cook gently for about 10 minutes until the onions become soft but do not brown.
Add tomato puree and transfer: Push the cooked vegetables to one side of the pan. Stir the tomato puree into the empty space and cook for a minute to bring out its flavor. Then transfer all the vegetables and tomato puree into the slow cooker.
Brown the sausages: Wipe the frying pan clean with kitchen paper. Add a small splash of vegetable oil and brown the Cumberland sausages on all sides over medium heat. They do not need to be fully cooked here as they will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
Add seasonings and liquids to slow cooker: Sprinkle the smoked paprika over the vegetables in the slow cooker. Pour in the diluted Knorr chicken stock (prepared by dissolving the stock pot in 200ml hot water), canned tomatoes with their juice, Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup, and add a big pinch of black pepper. Stir gently to combine.
Add sausages to slow cooker: Nestle the browned sausages underneath the vegetable and sauce mixture in the slow cooker, ensuring they are mostly submerged.
Slow cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 5-6 hours until the sausages are fully cooked and the flavors meld together.
Adjust seasoning and thicken sauce: Before serving, taste the casserole and adjust seasoning as desired. If the sauce needs thickening, mix a small amount of the sauce with instant thickening granules (such as McDougalls) or cornflour, then stir it back into the slow cooker until thickened to your liking.
Serve: Serve the sausage and pepper casserole hot, ideally accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes.

Notes

The stock pot is already salty, so avoid adding extra salt to prevent over-seasoning.
If thickening the sauce, cornstarch or instant thickening granules can be used depending on availability.
For best results, use thick-quality Cumberland sausages for robust flavor and texture.
This dish pairs beautifully with mashed potatoes or crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
You can prepare the vegetables a day in advance and refrigerate to save time on cooking day.