After I spend 6 weeks travelling in Mexico I came home with a backpack loaded with cans of chipotle chillies in adobo sauce. I loved them so much I figured it was worth lugging them all the way home.
Luckily these days I don’t need to travel to the other side of the world to enjoy one of my favourite ingredients. For years I was getting them from an Asian grocery store which also stocks Mexican ingredients but now days even my supermarket stocks them in jars. Happy days!
OF course if you can’t get hold of them, I’ve got you covered in the variations below! And sausages vary enormously in quality. It’s worth making the extra effort to get them from a butcher if you can.
WINE MATCH: A cold beer or glass of cool climate shiraz.
Variations & Substitutions
no chipotle chillies - replace with 1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika and 1-2 finely chopped fresh red chillies such as serrano or thai birds eye.
vegetarian - replace sausages with 4 eggs. Simmer them in the sauce before serving. Or use extra beans or chickpeas instead.
family-friendly - skip the chipotle chillies or puree them and serve at the table for everyone to add their own. And see the carb lovers options!
more substantial (carb lovers) - serve with warm tortillas, steamed rice, tortilla chips or corn chips.
low carb / more veg - replace beans with chopped low carb veg like cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini or shaved cabbage. Simmer covered until the veg are soft before serving. To make it more substantial serve with roast cashews or peanuts or smashed avocado or simmer a couple of eggs in the sauce.
Low FODMAP - replace beans with low FODMAP vegetables like squash, sweet potato, potato, or eggplant or serve sausages and sauce with warm corn tortillas or steamed rice.
paleo - replace beans with chopped veggies like cauliflower or sweet potato. Simmer covered until the veg are soft before serving. Replace sour cream with smashed avocado or a big drizzle of peppery extra virgin olive oil or this cashew sauce.
dairy-free - Replace sour cream with smashed avocado or a big drizzle of peppery extra virgin olive oil or this cashew sauce.
different meat - replace sausages with ground (minced) beef, chicken or pork. You could use spanish or Mexican chorizo for an extra spicy kick.
no coriander / cilantro - replace with parsley, basil, baby spinach or other salad leaves.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
sausages - freeze them.
canned tomatoes / white beans / chipotle in adobo sauce - keep them in the pantry.
coriander – best to use for another meal. Can be frozen but will wilt when defrosted.
sour cream – keeps for weeks in the fridge.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the sour cream and herbs separately. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, just bring back to a simmer.
Hi Jules, my comment isn’t about this recipe in particular, but I just wanted to share that I was thinking of you in the kitchen the other day. See, I found myself making a soup with 31 ingredients (you read that right…Thirty. One). I was thinking “What on the scorched earth have I gotten myself into!!” It took forever and made a giant mess and tons of dishes to clean up afterward. I remembered you and your recent re-commitment to keep the number of ingredients in your recipes to just a few and I sent you a little shout of praise all the way to Aus from my disaster area kitchen. Thanks for all that you do to keep it simple for us. *hugs*
Ooh Jamie!
Thanks so much for your lovely message – man 31 ingredients is a lot!
Really appreciate your kind words and sending the hugs back
Jx
These were so good and yet so simple. I’m wondering why I never thought of making something like this before.
So glad you enjoyed Fiona :)