British · Authentic-ish British
Sausage and Bean Casserole
368 kcal a serving, against 631 for the traditional version. That is 263 kcal off, or 42%, with 31.6g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour 15 minutes.
What the traditional version is
The proper version starts by frying thick pork sausages and diced bacon in oil until blistered and golden. You tip off some of the fat, then add onions, garlic, tinned tomatoes, and haricot beans with a bit of stock. It bubbles gently for nearly an hour, the sausages infusing everything with their flavour while the beans plump up. You finish with a handful of parsley and crusty bread for mopping.
What changed, and what each change costs
Pork sausages to reduced-fat pork sausages
Standard sausages are mostly fat. A reduced-fat, high-meat sausage cuts the main source of calories and lets you eat more for the same cost. If you brown them gently, they won't dry out too much.
What it costs you. The sausages are missing the luscious, slightly sticky mouthfeel you get from proper porkers. What you gain in self-satisfaction, you lose in flavour.
Bacon to trimmed lean back bacon
Rind and visible fat on bacon melt into the pot, even if you skim. By trimming right down, you keep the smoky note but lose a good chunk of the grease.
What it costs you. It's still bacon, but the depth is gone. More perfumed than powerful. You'll know you're not in a pub.
Frying in oil to dry-frying in a non-stick pan
Oil is there to stop things sticking, but with decent non-stick it's just there for tradition and nostalgia. Sausages will still brown, bacon will still curl, and onions will soften in the steam.
What it costs you. No glossy, golden glaze on the sausages. The browning is paler, and you won't find an orange slick on your spoon. Life goes on.
Dried haricot beans to tinned cannellini beans
Tinned beans are a bit softer and save you all the faffing with soaking and simmering. They're also marginally lower in calories, so you can get away with a bigger heap of beans.
What it costs you. Haricot beans are traditional, but cannellini are just as good here. If you're mourning for haricots, that's between you and your grocer.
None
Kept the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and stock - they're not the problem.
What it costs you. You don't get points for swapping things that weren't causing the trouble.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 631 | 368 |
| Protein | 32.1g | 31.6g |
| Fat | 33.8g | 10.2g |
| Saturated fat | 10.9g | 3.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 52g | 39.8g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.1g | 8.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish British prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, celery.
The method is in the book
The original casserole is the sort of dish you remember on a cold Sunday - porky, unashamedly rich, and likely to leave a ring on your plate. The trimmed-down one is decent, filling and gives you most of the hit without the two-day nap. You lose the sticky edge and the way sausage fat slicks the beans, but you keep the comfort factor. Is it as good? No. But it's good enough for a midweek dinner - especially if you've got a long week ahead and need something that tastes like a plan rather than a treat.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish British, along with 57 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.