This Sausage, Leek and Apple Casserole is the perfect winter warmer. I’ve given this sausage stew a twist, adding sweet apples and salty, smokey bacon which balance perfectly together. This combo should also help to please fussy eaters - particularly if they are an apple fan! I’ve also added in parsnip as we love those in our family, but you could swap these for carrots if you prefer.
If you have a weaning baby at home, don’t worry, you can still share this casserole with them - just give them a veggie only serving. And if you are spoon-feeding, you can even turn theirs into a yummy potato and leek soup! See how to adapt this recipe for your family here.
How to Cook My Sausage, Leek and Apple Casserole
Watch me make this casserole step-by-step here, before or as you cook.
The Stars of my Sausage Leek and Apple Casserole
The Sausages
This Sausage, Leek and Apple Casserole is best with a good quality sausage that has a lower fat content and higher pork content, I either use pork & leek sausages or Heck 97% pork sausages. I’ve given a quantity range for the sausages and bacon so you can choose the right amount for your family. I would recommend for adults two-three sausages each, older children two, young children just one and none for babies under 1 year. Instead they can have a veg only serving.
The Bacon
I’ve also given a range for the bacon, I usually cook this meal with the 150g (5.29oz) to keep it a little healthier but if you want to go all out it and add the max amount it will be super yummy.
The Apples
You want to go for a sweet apple - usually it will say on the pack if they are a sweet variety or you can google the apple name and find out if its sweet. In the UK I would go for Golden Delicious apples or Gala apples. If you use apples that are tangy like Granny Smith, you aren’t going to achieve the sweetness that you need for this recipe.
The Potatoes
I like to use baby potatoes where I can because it cuts out all that peeling and chopping time. If you have any larger baby potatoes though, these will need chopping in half.
The Parsnips
If you aren’t big parsnip fans in your family, no problem - these can easily be switched to carrots, just slice them instead of chopping.
Eat More Sustainably
If you are trying to cut back on meat in order to eat more sustainably, then I would just go for a 6 pack of sausages and share them out. Plus, stick to the smaller amount of bacon, using the rest another day or freeze it.
Prep Like a Pro
Watch the video at the bottom of the recipe to see the best way to prep and clean leeks and an easy way to chop up bacon. And I’d recommend peeling and grating the apple right before you want to add it to the cook as once grated, it will quickly start to go brown.
Preparing this Sausage Leek and Apple Casserole In Advance
This casserole is a great dish to prepare in advance. All the veg can be prepped in advance and stored, covered, in the fridge until ready to use. If you prep the potatoes and parsnips in advance, add them to a large container or bowl and add enough water so they are covered. Then cover with a lid or clingfilm (saran wrap) and refrigerate. This will keep them lovely and fresh and stop them from going brown. The leeks and celery can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the same container in the fridge.
Even the garlic and thyme can be prepped in advance, just cover and refrigerate in mini prep bowls. The bacon can be prepared in advance also as long as it’s stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. Don’t prepare the apples in advance or they will go completely brown.
Kids Cook Too
Younger children can get involved by using a special toddler cutting knife like this Doddl one to help prep the vegetables.
Feed a Crowd
As long as you have a large enough cooking pot, this is a great dish to double up on for guests as you can prepare all but the stock and apples in advance, meaning you can do all the rest of the prep work before your guests arrive. If you do double up, I would advise frying the leek mixture a little longer, about 10 minutes, as there will be so much of it. And definitely oven cook the sausages as you won’t fit them all in frying pan.
Storing My Sausage, Leek and Apple Casserole
You can store leftovers in an air-tight container or resealable food bag in the fridge for up to 3 days (2 + cook day). You can also freeze them, just defrost for 24 hours in the fridge and reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
For more on safe food storage and reheating read here >
Diet Details
My Sausage, Leek and Apple Casserole is egg, nut and diary-free. You can make it gluten-free so long as you buy gluten-free sausages and stock cubes (bouillon).
Adapting My Sausage, Leek and Apple Casserole For Your Family
Eating together is beneficial for families of all ages and stages, for a multitude of reasons; nutritional, behavioural, psychological and for healthy family functioning. This section will show you how to tweak this Sausage, Leek and Apple Casserole recipe for sharing with a weaning baby, toddler or a fussy eater, to help make it easier for you to eat together as a family.
Keeping Picky Eaters Happy
The sausage, bacon and sweetness of the apple should be enough to keep fussy eaters happy with this dish! You can remove the potato skin from their serving if you think they will be funny about that.
See more from me on fussy eaters here >
Making my Sausage Leek and Apple Casserole Suitable for Baby
To make this Sausage, Leek and Apple Casserole to eat with little ones, omit the salt from the cook and you can also use low-salt chicken stock. If you are serving to under 1’s, leave the sausage off their serving and pick out the strips of bacon as they shouldn’t have processed meat.
How to Serve to Babies & Toddlers
BABY-LED WEANING
When you dish up their serving, use a slotted spoon to limit the amount of liquid you end up putting on their plate. They can have the celery and leeks as they are.
6-8 months
When you are prepping the parsnip (or carrots) and potatoes, slice a large baby potato in half lengthways for little one and cook it like that. Then once done, slice into wedges no more than ½ inch wide. Slice a parsnip in half lengthways and then cut that in half horizontally and cook 2 pieces as is, then if they are thick, slice those into sticks no more than ½ inch wide once cooked.
9-11 months
Once cooked, dice the potato and parsnip into pea size cubes.
1 year +
Cut the potato and parsnip into bite-size pieces.
SPOON FEEDING
6-9 Months
Using your stick blender, whizz their portion of veg and sauce into a delicious potato and leek soup! Add more of the broth or warm boiled water as needed.
10-12 Months
You can still serve as a soup or gradually pulse the veg in your mini food chopper until well chopped, with no big lumps and adding more of the broth, some warm boiled water or stock as needed.
12 Month Transition Period
Mash the potatoes and parsnip (or carrot) with the back of a fork. Thinly slice the sausages and then cut those sausages in half. Leave the leeks and celery as is.
1 Year +
With a sharp knife and fork, thinly slice the sausage and then chop in half. Chop the potatoes and parsnip into bitesize pieces.
I’ve also added these notes to the bottom of the recipe so you have them to hand when you come to cook. For more info on how I keep my family meals baby & toddler friendly, read here >
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SAUSAGE, LEEK AND APPLE CASSEROLE
Equipment
- Chef’s knife + chopping board
- Colander or sieve
- Large measuring jug + mini wire hand whisk
- Peeler + grater
- Mezzaluna (optional)
- Garlic press
- Large casserole pot / dutch oven / lidded saucepan
- Large frying pan or baking tray / sheet
Ingredients
- 6-10 good quality sausages I use Heck 97% pork content sausages or pork & leek see note 1
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 150- 300 g (½-1 pack) smoked bacon sliced, see note 1
- 2 leeks white and light green part, quartered lengthways, sliced thickly & washed
- 2 sticks celery sliced finely
- 3 small or 2 large sweet apples (like golden delicious, gala) peeled & grated, see note 2
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 600 ml hot chicken stock / bouillon
- 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 600 g baby potatoes larger ones halved, see note 3
- 300 g parsnips or carrots peeled and chopped into bitesize pieces
- Salt & pepper to taste see note 4
Instructions
- First start cooking the sausages. You can do this while you prep all the other ingredients. You can either brown the sausages in the oven at 200ºc/180ºc fan/400ºf/gas6 for around 25-30 minutes or in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes.
- Heat a large casserole pot or saucepan on the hob over a high heat and add the oil. Add the leeks, celery, apple, bacon and fry for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often for 1 more minute.
- Add in the potatoes, parsnips, stock, thyme and seasoning. Level everything out and don’t worry if it’s not all covered in the stock. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until the potatoes and parsnips are tender. Once the sausages are cooked, pop them on top of the vegetables. If they aren’t ready in time to do that, don’t worry it isn’t essential that they go in.
- When you come to serve, remove the sausages and dish up the vegetables, then top with whole sausages for adults and slices for children (if eating with a baby see section below).
Notes
Baby & Toddler
BABY-LED WEANING
When you dish up their serving, use a slotted spoon to limit the amount of liquid you end up putting on their plate. They can have the celery and leeks as is. 6-8 MONTHS when you are prepping the parsnip and potatoes, slice a large baby potato in half lengthways for little one and cook it like that. Then once done, slice into wedges no more than ½ inch wide. Slice a parsnip in half lengthways and then cut that in half horizontally and cook 2 pieces as is, then slice those into sticks no more than ½ inch wide once cooked. 9-11 MONTHS once cooked, dice the potato and parsnip into pea size cubes. 1 YEAR + cut the potato and parsnip into bite-size pieces.SPOON FEEDING
6-9 MONTHS using your stick blender, whizz their portion of veg and sauce into a delicious potato and leek soup! Add more of the broth as needed. 10-12 Months serve as a soup (see 6-9 mos) or gradually pulse the veg in your mini food chopper until well chopped, with no big lumps and adding more of the broth, some warm boiled water or stock as needed. 12 MONTH TRANSITION Mash the potatoes and parsnip (or carrot) with the back of a fork. Thinly slice the sausages and then cut those sausages in half. Leave the leeks and celery as is. 1 Year +With a sharp knife and fork, thinly slice the sausage and then chop in half. Chop the potatoes and parsnip into bitesize pieces.
Kathryn
Another yummy recipe from Emma. Absolutely perfect for a cold winter evening, enjoyed with my 13 month old. Thank you!