Comfort food is comforting for a reason: no matter your mood, or the kind of day you’ve had, a delish, comforting dish will make it better.

You know the kind of meal we’re talking about: that meaty, moreish, explodes-in-your-mouth deliciousness you’re craving ahead of a pre-Netflix and chill sofa cuddle… or as a weekend warmer after an autumnal walk.

A go-to comfort food dish, like a sizzling sausage ragu, works no matter the occasion – whether you’re dining on your own or with family.

For more healthy vibes, we’re all feeling the pull towards adopting a flexitarian lifestyle these days (OK, we’re hoping to fit into our pre-lockdown jeans again)…

And we would like to help take some pressure off our gorgeous planet…

“Meat has a heavy impact on our environment, using more water, land and producing more greenhouse gases and pollution than protein from plant sources,” Jo Travers, BSc RD, aka The London Nutritionist, and author ofThe Low-Fad Diet, tells HuffPost UK. 

Which is just one reason we’ll be cheating on meat with Naked Glory Sausages. These incredible meat-free sausages will be the meatiest thing since meat in your full English, or an epic choice for lunch when you need to add some sizzle to your sandwich.

We’ve got the recipe for a tantalizing Naked Glory Sausage and Bean Ragu – perfect for your next at-home date night or a hearty weekday meal.

These meat-free bangers are healthier for us, too – even though they’re still  bursting with flavour, and look, smell and taste just like real sausages; in fact, Naked Glory Sausages have around 70% less fat than their meaty counterparts. 

“Eating lots of meat can also be bad for our health. Plant proteins, however, have additional benefits such as being high in fibre and anti-inflammatory nutrients. So by switching some meat protein to plant protein you can improve your health and the health of our environment,” explains Travers.

If you’re keen to start cheating on meat on the regular, it helps to plan out your meat-free meals: you can always pick a day a week to do it, like Meat Cheat Mondays (although if you want to Play Away From Pork on Thursdays, that works, too).

Try “meat deceit” with Naked Glory’s lookalike Sausages using the recipe below and you’ll fool everyone into thinking they are the genuine meaty article.

NAKED GLORY SAUSAGE AND BEAN RAGU

Serves 2
Ready in about 20 minutes

Ingredients –

1 tsp oil
6 Naked Glory Sausages
1 red onion, roughly chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tinned mixed beans, drained and rinsed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
½ lemon, zested
2 tbsp roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

Method –

1. Heat a frying pan until medium hot. Add 1 tsp oil and Naked Glory Sausages and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally until browned and hot through.
2. Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan until medium hot. Add the remaining oil and onion and cook for 1 minute, then add the pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes until just softened.
3. Add the garlic and smoked paprika and cook for another minute, before stirring in the tinned tomatoes and beans.
4. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 3-4 minutes until just thickened and the vegetables are tender. Season to taste and stir in half the parsley.
5. Meanwhile, tip the panko breadcrumbs into a bowl, zest the lemon over the top, add the remaining parsley and season with black pepper.
6. Divide the stew between serving plates and top with the Naked Glory Sausages. Scatter the herby breadcrumbs over the top and serve straightaway.