This rich and tasty sausage stew is flavoured with wild garlic and balsamic vinegar. It's a brilliant way making the most of foraged wild garlic as well as being a delicious family friendly dinner recipe.

Sausage wild garlic stew in a white bowl

Just like the wild garlic and cheese scones that I made recently, this sausage and wild garlic stew was not a recipe I planned in advance. We picked the wild garlic while walking through the woods and I just had to make something with it.

I chose to make a sausage and wild garlic stew as it's such a great family friendly meal. Who doesn't like sausages? And who doesn't love an easy meal with sausages?

Ingredients for sausage and wild garlic stew

To make this easy sausage stew you only need:

Sausages - Use good quality sausages. It really makes a difference.
Onions - Brown or red onions both work well
Balsamic vinegar - As it is just for flavouring the stew it doesn't have to be a really expensive one. I have a supermarket brand one for cooking and a higher quality brand that I use on salads.
Tomato puree - This just adds a bit of richness to the stew.
Tinned tomatoes
Stock - I use beef stock as it has more flavour but chicken or vegetable stock are both fine. I just use a stock cube but you can use homemade stock or any other ready made stock.
Wild garlic - The wild garlic really is the star of this recipe but if you can't get any then you can use garlic plus some greens such as spinach, leeks or even kale.

A Store Cupboard Recipe

You may not immediately think of this as a store cupboard recipe. However, if you manage to get some wild garlic, you don't need many other fresh ingredients.

I always have a few extra onions in the cupboard as well as tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and stock cubes. I also often have a pack of sausages in the freezer.

Sausage and wild garlic stew in a bowl with a scone in the background

How to find wild garlic

I've included a lot more information about foraging for wild garlic in my previous post about wild garlic scones. Do check it out if you're interested in foraging for wild garlic.

Basically, it grows damp ancient woodlands in spring and can be recognised by its distinctive garlic smell if you rub the leaves.

If you want more information about foraging in general then do check out Wild Food UK for advice.

What if I can't find wild garlic

If you can't find wild garlic then you can replace it with three cloves of fresh garlic in this recipe. Add the garlic after you have softened the onion. Add something to replace the greens too. You could add spinach, kale or leeks.

Wild garlic and sausage stew in a bowl with a pan and some scones

Can I adapt this sausage stew in other ways?

This is a very simple recipe without lots of ingredients. That means it's great for midweek however, you can still put your own twist on it. If you want more vegetables then add a few.

You could finely dice a carrot and some celery and cook them with the onion at the start of the recipe. Or why not add some diced peppers and mushrooms?

How to Make this into a Vegetarian Recipe

If you don't eat meat then this wild garlic stew is just as good with vegetarian sausages. Cook it in exactly the same way.

If you have some wild garlic but don't want to make this with sausages (and are still reading!) then why not grill some halloumi and serve it with the tomato and wild garlic stew?

What to serve with this sausage and wild garlic stew

When I made this I had a lot of wild garlic and so I served it with homemade wild garlic scones. It's delicious with any bread though. Why not make a batch of this garlic and herb butter quick bread to serve with it?

There are lots of other side dishes that would be delicious with this. It's lovely with baked potatoes or mashed potatoes. You could even serve it with pasta or couscous.

Storing and reheating

Any leftover wild garlic and sausage stew can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat thoroughly in either the microwave or a saucepan before serving.

You can also freeze it for up to three months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.

More Recipes You Might Like

Why not try one of my other sausage recipes?

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