Slow Cooking on a Wednesday: Cheaty Cassoulet

Are you bored with sausages and mashed potato? Have you had too many sausage pasta bakes or devilled sausages? Try cassoulet! Vegetables, beans and sausages simmered in tomato sauce, and topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. Tonight's version has leek, carrot, celery and fennel with lots of fresh parsley. Even the small one ate all his dinner with minimal fuss, so I'm counting this one as a win.

Sausages, Beans and Toast!

And the cheaty part? An authentic version uses dried beans slowly cooked in a rich sauce with bacon, sausages or other meats. This is topped with layers of buttered breadcrumbs that are built up by pushing the previous layer into the sauce. Using tinned beans and a single layer of breadcrumbs isn't quite as luxurious, but you can get this onto the table in about 45 minutes, or even less if your sausages are already cooked.