A great way to reduce cholesterol naturally is to add more beans to your diet. There are tons of ways to do this (here are some suggestions), but one of the easiest ways is to add them to your main meal. Not only do they help to lower cholesterol, but they’re also a good source of protein, and they help keep you fuller for longer.
Sausages generally shouldn’t be eaten regularly as part of a low cholesterol diet, because they tend to be high in saturated fat. However, if you buy low fat ones (with less than 1.5g saturated fat per 100g), they’re ok to eat in moderation. They definitely don’t taste anywhere near as good as full fat sausages, but in recipes like this the other flavours make up for it.
Information
- Serves: 3-4
- Preparation time: 8 mins
- Cooking time: 32 mins
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 low fat sausages (<1.5g sat fat per 100g)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 250g mushrooms, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 200ml chicken/vegetable stock
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
- 400g tin butter beans, drained & rinsed
- 1 handful kale, torn into small pieces, or spinach (optional)
- Salt & pepper
- Accompaniments (see notes)
Method
- Cut each sausage into 3 pieces.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or frying pan.
- Add the sausage to the pan and fry on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown (about 5 minutes).
- Add the diced onion to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften (about 3 minutes).
- Add the mushrooms, garlic and carrots and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, stock, paprika, mixed herbs & chilli flakes.
- Stir to thoroughly mix the ingredients.
- Cook on a low-medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Now is a good time to prepare your accompaniments, while the casserole is cooking.
- Add the butter beans and kale/spinach to the pan and cook for 4 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with accompaniments.
Notes
- This casserole goes really well with sweet potatoes, which will increase the cholesterol-reducing benefits as sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fibre. They also highly nutritious, and count towards your 5 a day. The easiest way to prepare them is to prick them all over with a sharp knife, then put them in the microwave for 6-8 minutes, or until tender (you’ll need to increase the time if you’re having more than one). Then cut open and pour the casserole over them.
- I also cook other vegetables to go with it, like broccoli or cabbage. With all the vegetables in it, this dish makes a great healthy and wholesome dinner.
apples-and-beans 