Tender soft sausages are the hero in this classic family recipe. These easy slow cooker curried sausages are always a dinner favourite and this is the perfect low fuss recipe that you can set and forget and be rewarded with a wholesome and comforting meal at the end of the day.
Today we are going a bit old school with one of my favourite dairy-free dinner recipes and celebrating the classic family favourite meal, curried sausages. If you grew up in Australia, chances are you ate this on the regular whether at home or at family and friends houses.
It’s a little retro, not at all fancy, (in fact it’s a bit ugly) but it’s simple and delicious comfort food that’s sure to please the whole family.
I’m currently in a season of my life where getting a home cooked meal on the table after work each day feels like more energy than I can manage. And while giving ourselves a break and getting takeaway on occasion is a great option, I want to make sure I’m still eating a balanced diet and saving money on food where possible.
So from this place, I am on a mission to create simple winter comfort food recipes that take minimal effort in the kitchen so that getting dinner on the table when life gets in the way can feel a little less overwhelming.
Today I’m busting out one of my favourite appliances to use when I don’t feel like cooking; the slow cooker. This appliance is the best when it comes to simplifying our cooking lives as its whole premise is that it will do the cooking for you while you live your life and when you’re ready to eat, it’s done. And if you love slow cooker recipes, definitley try my slow cooker beef stew as well!
While there really isn’t anything unique about this recipe, it’s your staple basic curried sausages, what makes it perfect for this series is that it uses everyday, low cost ingredients and can be very forgiving based on what you have available. Just swap out the veggies and use whatever you have leftover at the end of the week – it’s a great way to use them up.
Ingredients for curried sausages
To make the curried sausages, you are going to need a few basic ingredients. How many will 100% depend on how many vegetables you want to add so be flexible and use what you want here.
- Sausages – I like to use thick beef sausages for the best flavour but really any will work.
- Onions & garlic – onions form a delicious flavour base for the sauce. Leave them out and it’s not really curried sausages.
- Vegetables – I’m using a combination of potato, carrot, and peas but you can really use any vegetables you want.
- Worcestershire sauce – this is my husband’s secret ingredient to add a little sweetness. You can replace it with mango chutney or really any fruit chutney instead.
- Curry powder – I’m sure most Australian families have an orange tin of Keens curry powder hidden away at the back of their pantry. This is our key ingredient.
- Stock (or water) – classically this dish was always made with water but if you want a bit extra flavour then use beef or chicken stock.
- Cornflour – added at the end, this creates a nice thick gravy.
Finally, you’ll need to make a side to serve this with. I mean you don’t have to but generally curried sausages are served with either rice or mashed potatoes. As I’ve already added potatoes to the dish I like to do rice, but it’s really personal preference here!
How to make curried sausages in a slow cooker
For this recipe you’ll need a slow cooker. You can also use a All In One Cooker which is both a pressure cooker and a slow cooker meaning it’s one less appliance in the kitchen, however I don’t love the results from it’s sauté function so I am using a frying pan for the first step before transferring it to the slow cooker.
But as always the best slow cooker is the one you have so just adjust as needed.
Start with your veggie prep and peel and chop everything up. Your first step is then going to be to cook off the onions and brown the sausages.
Once the sausages are brown, remove them from the pot and slice them up into about 1inch thick slices. Add the curry powder to the onions and fry it for a minute until fragrant.
If you’re using a frying pan for this step, this is when you can transfer to your slow cooker. Add the sausages to the onion and load up with all your chopped vegetables. Add the worcestershire sauce and stock and mix it all up.
Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6. Add the cornflour and peas and then cook for another hour on high or 2 hours on low. If I could explain just how good this smells while cooking then I guarantee you wouldn’t hesitate to make it for dinner tomorrow, it’s so good!
You’ll notice from my messy pictures that the cauliflower has broken down a fair bit in the sauce. I actually love this as it makes it all a bit thicker plus you get that extra hidden veg!
Once cooked you can serve it with some rice or mashed potatoes. I prefer rice but it’s completely up to you.
Recipe FAQs
Technically no. You could certainly make this recipe by just throwing everything into the pot and being done with it. I do think you get a bit more flavour from frying the sausages and the onions first plus the sausages are more likely to slice well and hold together if they have been browned first.
Can you freeze curried sausages?
Curried sausages are perfect for freezing. This makes a big batch so I love to eat some straight away and then freeze the rest for another night when I don’t want to cook. Just whip up a little fresh rice, defrost in the microwave and serve!
This very well could be the ugliest looking recipe on my website but honestly it’s my husband’s absolute favourite. He would happily eat this all the time without complaint. But this slow cooker version has my vote as it just cooks away in the background and those sausages become so buttery soft. Seriously if you haven’t tried slow cooked sausages then you’re in for a treat!
This meal is rich, hearty and full of flavour making it perfect for the winter months. It’s easy and it’s cheap while also being super nostalgic and a little bit retro, and sometimes there is just nothing more comforting than that.
More easy dinner recipes:
Easy Pressure Cooker Mushroom Risotto
One Pot Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
5 Minute Sweet and Spicy Noodles
One Pot Sausage Casserole
20 Minute Bow Tie Pasta
Slow Cooker Curried Sausages
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 brown onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2-3 potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- ½ head small cauliflower
- 750 gm – 1kg thick beef sausages
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce or mango chutney (or really any fruit chutney)
- 4 cups chicken or beef stock
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons cornflour
Instructions
- Start by preparing the vegetables. Peel and slice the onion and garlic and set aside. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots to 2-3cm pieces. Chop up the cauliflower and set aside in a bowl with the potatoes and carrots.
- If you are using a slow cooker that you can saute in, turn it onto high and heat a splash of olive oil. Otherwise use a frying pan for this step and then transfer to the slow cooker. Add the onions, garlic and the sausages. Fry off the sausages so that they are brown on all sides. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your slow cooker.
- Remove the sausages from the pan and slice into thick, 1 inch pieces. Place the curry powder in the pot with the onions and saute for another minute until nice and fragrant.
- Add the sliced sausages back to the pot with the carrots, potatoes and cauliflower. Add the worcestershire sauce or chutney and the stock. Give everything a good mix around and place the lid on. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
- In a small bowl mix the cornflour with a little water to make a thick paste. Remove the lid of the slow cooker and add the cornflour mixture and frozen peas. Stir through and then continue cooking for an additional 1 hour on high or 2 hours on low. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Jeff says
This is the second time I have made your curried sausages in my slow cooker, first time not too bad,this time a big improvement, haven’t a fliping clue what I did differently, could be because I told, my little dog, if this don’t work out we can blame Sally
Sally says
Hey Jeff, so glad the second time was a success!!