Giant vegan sausage roll

Giant vegan sausage roll

giant vegan sausage roll side

We are nearly there, guys! For me personally, Christmas is supposed to start tomorrow night as Poland is one of those countries for which Christmas Eve dinner is the official opener and probably the most important gathering of the entire Christmas period.

Typically, I would either fly home or perhaps dare to host for the first time (although it is a lot of pressure and I am not my mum, I am not sure I could pull it off) but as the pandemic has paralysed the entire world’s plans, I am staying home and not planning anything special (don’t tell my mum). We are instead having a festive meal with a couple of friends on the 25th, Anglo-saxon style.

I am a bit sad not to be with my family for Christmas and it’s kind of silly as my visits home are always a little bittersweet, if I am completely honest. We all love being in each other’s company to begin with, but there is always strife by the end of it. That’s the sad truth and it is perhaps why I feel conflicted about Christmas. I want to enjoy it but I am also very careful not to get my hopes up and to be realistic about how things may turn out. We grow up believing that family is where we can truly belong, but it’s the people closest to us that can also hurt us the most.

So this year things are very low key for us. We are going over to our friends’ house, which they have only just bought and we are excited to see it and hear what they plan to do to it. We’ve split the cooking up between us and our friends so that no one has to slave by the stove for hours on end. I am making this very dish and gravy and Duncan is in charge of making a sticky toffee pudding. It will be lovely to socialise in person at last and to put our feet up for a few days straight after that as we are both exhausted to be honest.

Today’s dish is based on my much loved mushroom sausage roll recipe from last year. Golden puff pastry filled with a beautiful mixture of earthy mushrooms and smoky tofu, flavoured with winter herbs and some soy sauce and a smidge of fiery mustard. Compared to my other centrepieces (this one and that one), this dish is pretty simple to make – I resisted the temptation to make it super fancy – so if you are looking for something that doesn’t require a huge amount of effort but looks festive and ticks all of the flavour boxes, give this recipe a go. I paired it with a mushroom miso gravy but that’s optional, a jar of quality cranberry sauce will work well too. Enjoy and Merry Xmas!

mini vegan sausage rolls ingredients

giant vegan sausage roll filling

giant vegan sausage roll pastry

giant vegan sausage roll

giant vegan sausage roll plate

serves
4-6
PREP
30 min
COOKING
80 min
serves
4-6
PREPARATION
30 min
COOKING
80 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 250 g / 9 oz chestnut / baby bella mushrooms
  • 225 g / 8 oz smoked firm cotton tofu* OR 175 g / 1 packed cup cooked brown rice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large shallots, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
  • 8 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
  • 4 thyme springs, leaves picked
  • 4 tsp vegan Worcester sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce / tamari (for GF version)
  • ¼-1/3 tsp salt, adjust to taste
  • generous grind of black pepper
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 1½ tsp wholegrain mustard, more to taste
  • 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika (if using rice), more to taste
  • ¼ cup flour (I tested tapioca starch and rice flour)
  • 1 sheet vegan puff pastry
  • vegan egg wash: 2 tsp plant milk, 1 tsp olive oil + 1 tsp maple syrup or sugar
  • 2 tsp sesame or / and poppy seeds, to decorate

MUSHROOM MISO GRAVY (optional)

  • 20 g / 0.7 oz dry mushrooms (I used a mixture of porcini and shiitake), well rinsed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large shallots (I used scallion type), roughly diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed
  • 2 small carrots, scrubbed clean and roughly diced
  • 2 celery sticks, roughly diced
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, whole
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, whole
  • 4 sage leaves, roughly chopped
  • 120 ml / ½ cup vegan white wine
  • 1 fresh or dried bay leaf
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp white / shiro miso
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tsp vegan Worcester sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup or sugar
  • salt, to taste (if needed)
  • 2 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
METHOD
  1. Chop mushrooms into very small dice and mash well drained tofu with a fork. You can use a food processor for both, but I prefer chopping the mushrooms by hand as it is too easy to overprocess them and lose all the texture.
  2. Heat up olive oil in a large frying pan. Add shallots and fry until translucent, stirring from time to time.
  3. Add garlic, chopped up sage and picked thyme leaves. Fry until garlic softens and becomes fragrant, stirring often.
  4. Add chopped up mushrooms and let them sauté until they are cooked and all the excess water cooks out.
  5. Add in mashed up tofu (or cooked, cooled-down rice), vegan Worcester sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, mustard and smoked sweet paprika (if using rice). Mix everything really well. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. If there is still some moisture in the pan, make sure you allow it to cook out before cooling the filling.
  6. Once the filling is cool, add the flour, stir it well and then form a compact log out of the mixture. Compact the filling well with your hands so that it forms a nicely shaped log that fits the size of your pastry sheet. My log was 20 cm / 8″ long. Optionally, brush the outside of the log with a bit of olive oil.
  7. Heat up the oven to 180° C / 355° F (160° C / 320° F if using fan function) and line a baking tray with a piece of baking paper.
  8. Place the log on the baking tray and bake for about 35-40 minutes so that it firms up before being wrapped up in pastry. Allow it to cool down before wrapping in pastry.
  9. Take the puff pastry out of the fridge for about 10 minutes before assembling the rolls so that it’s more pliable.
  10. Once you are ready to assemble the roll, heat the oven up to 200° C / 390° F (180° C / 355° F if using fan function).
  11. Unravel the puff pastry sheet so that the long edge runs parallel to the edge of the workbench.
  12. Gently place the pre-baked log, top side down, in the middle of the pastry sheet, alongside the shorter edge of the pastry.
  13. Wrap the log in the pastry, seal well and then very gently (rope some spatulas and someone else in to help), flip the log so that the seam is at the bottom.
  14. Using a sharp pairing knife, make small incisions in the pastry at regular intervals.
  15. Glaze the roll with vegan egg wash and sprinkle with sesame and / or poppy seeds.
  16. Place the roll on a paper-lined baking tray and bake for about 40 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up and become golden brown.

MUSHROOM MISO GRAVY

  1. AHEAD OF TIME Bring a kettle of water to a boil and pour about 500 ml / 2 cups of boiling water over cleaned dry mushrooms to create a mushroom stock. Allow the mushrooms to infuse for as long as you can.
  2. Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Once the oil comes to temperature, add shallots, garlic, carrot and celery. Sauté gently on a medium heat until lightly caramelised, stirring often.
  3. Next add in tomato paste and fresh herbs, stir well and allow it to cook until caramelised (not burnt) – stirring from time to time.
  4. Next add in wine (it will deglaze the pot incorporating all the beautiful, stuck-to-the-pan bits into the gravy), bay leaf, peppercorns, miso, nutritional yeast and porcini stock (save rehydrated mushrooms for another dish like risotto).
  5. Allow the mixture to simmer gently until it reduces by about half (30-45 minutes).
  6. Season with vegan Worcester sauce, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup / sugar and a little bit of salt (if needed). Set aside for the flavours to infuse (ideally overnight if you have time).
  7. Strain the mixture and squeeze all of the juice out of the veggies.
  8. Return the liquid to a small pot. Taste and season to taste.
  9. Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer. Thicken it a little by whisking the cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed in with 2-3 tsp of water) in slowly while it simmers.

NOTES
 *I used firm tofu that does not require pressing but if your tofu is quite waterlogged, make sure you squeeze out excess moisture prior to making this.

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
501
25%
sugars
10 g
11%
fats
30 g
43%
saturates
5 g
24%
proteins
17 g
35%
carbs
38 g
15%
*per serving
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5.0
13 reviews, 25 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Emily:
I made this to accommodate my vegan sister for Christmas dinner. It was so good I couldn't stop eating the filling as I was cooking it, and even the non-vegans couldn't get enough of it during the dinner. I will make this again.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay, I am so happy to hear that Emily - that's fantastic to hear and how lovely of you to go to so much effort for your vegan sister - I am sure it made her really happy. Thank you for taking the time to review - I really appreciate it. Ania
Sev:
Full of flavours, absolutely delicious!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you so much, Sev! I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed it and thanks for coming back to review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
mia:
hi, your recipes look great. is there a smoked tofu substitute? i cant find it in my small town
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Mia, you can certainly add a hint of smoky flavour but either using liquid smoke (it is also used for meat marinades so you should be able to find it fairly easily) or smoked paprika at a push. Hope this helps! x Ania
Juliette:
this is so good, thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you, Juliette! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it so much and thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Bek:
I'm keen to make this for Christmas this year, but my husband hates mushrooms! what could I use to replace them? they add so much flavour and texture, it's disappointing I can't make any of your "main" dishes with them because they all look fantastic
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Bek,
    I hear you, it's difficult to sub mushrooms (especially if you enjoy them) as they do add heaps of flavour. How about adding chunks of roasted butternut squash, chopped (pre-roasted) chestnuts and maybe some cranberries for pops of flavour? Another option I can think of is some sundried tomatoes, walnuts, cooked brown lentils, rosemary. You'll need to improvise a little. x Ania
Michaela:
This is so super tasty I will be making time after time again.
I didnt make the miso gravy as this was our contribution to a buffet on Boxing day but I will be making that soon
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I have already passed on to those who liked it - even those pesky non-vegans ;)
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay, I'm so glad to hear that - when non-vegans express interest in the food they know to be vegan is huge, isn't it? I'm chuffed to bits and thank you for letting me know that it was such a hit, Michaela. x Ania
Mary:
We made this for New Years Day and my carnivore Aunt said it was delicious and she'd be delighted to have it again. It came out a little bit smaller than the pictures, but that might be because I chopped most of the mushrooms in the food processor - either way, it was still enough as part of a roast dinner for 6, and we'll definitely be making it again! Thank you!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you for your kind words, Mary! I am delighted that it went down with your and your family (including a meat lover!). Thanks so much for taking the time to write a review, I really appreciate it! x Ania
Joann:
Made both the sausage roll and gravy for Christmas lunch, easy to make and delicious! Thank you for a fantastic recipe!!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Joann, I'm so happy to hear that it was a success and many thanks for taking the time to let me know - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Annelies Verbiest:
We cooked this giant sausage roll as the meat replacement of our Christmas dinner. We cooked it with smoked tofu and it was simply delicious. Instructions were (as always) easy to follow. Even though the gravy required a bit of work, it was worth the effort as it is so full of flavour. I cooked it with gf puff pastry, froze part of it and it turned out really well! Thank you so much for another delicious recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you so much for your kind words, Annelies! I am so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed it and thank you for taking the time to let me and my readers know – I really appreciate it. x Ania
This is an absolute gem of a recipe! Delicious, beautiful, straightforward to put together, and just as big a hit with the non vegans as us. I used filo in place of puff pastry to cater for dietary stuff and that worked out beautifully too. Can’t recommend highly enough! Thanks Ania!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Yay! I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for taking the time to let me and my other readers know that this dish was a success for you, I really appreciate it. x Ania
Kay:
Could I make this in advance and freeze it after cooking?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Kay,
    It will work although I have not tried that to be honest so I don't know how that version compares to a freshly made one (my concern is about the pastry getting soggy). You can certainly freeze the log on its own, defrost and wrap it in pastry on the day. Hope that helps! x Ania
      Kay:
      Thanks, I’ll double wrap in foil and will let you know!
        Ania
        Ania:
        My pleasure. Hope you enjoy it! x Ania
Laana:
Hi, Ania - any idea about the weight of the puff pastry you used in this recipe? They sell it here by the weight in very small portion pieces, I'm trying to figure out how many if those I need to use. Thank you in advance!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Laana,
    Oh that's quite handy - you can buy exactly as much as you need. The brand I used is 320 g / 11.25 oz packet. Hope that helps! x Ania
      Laana:
      Thank you for your advice, Ania! I used about 300 g of pastry. It was quite a struggle to roll 3 individual pieces into one large neat sheet. I shouldn't have tucked the pastry under the log into more than one layer 'cause in some places it remained raw. Luckily the top was perfect! Delicious and fairly easy to make, in comparison to Wellington. It was a hit at the birthday dinner. Thank you for another awesome recipe!
        Ania
        Ania:
        Great to hear that it worked out well, Laana! x Ania
Katie Peppiatt:
Made this yesterday for Halloween (possibly a rehearsal for Xmas) and all I can say is Yum! The gravy was also absolutely delicious. The best praise came from my carnivorous partner who simply said "More". May have to make two next time as think he could probably eat a whole one himself. Thanks so much.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thank you so much for your kind words, Katie! I am especially delighted to hear that this dish went down so well with your meat-loving partner! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave this lovely review - I really appreciate it. x Ania
Cami:
Super tasty and versatile recipe. Although it takes slightly longer to prep and cut all ingredients, it is very much worth it. Instead of using the 'meat' for a sausage roll, I've shaped it up into 'meat' balls and sausages to add to traybakes with great results. It's also super convenient for batch making and meal prepping and a family favourite!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Cami,
    So glad you enjoyed my plant-based take on sausage meat and that the recipe has been serving you and your family so well. And many thanks for taking the time to let me know - much appreciated. Ania
Elizabeth:
I made the roll for my solo new year’s eve dinner and it was really delicious!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Elizabeth! I'm delighted to hear that and Happy New Year! x Ania
Elke:
Made this for New Years Eve and it came together in a breeze! Didn't have vegan Worcester sauce or nutritional yeast so I used red miso and black salt instead. It was delicious, light and the gravy complemented the roll perfectly!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear that you enjoyed this, Elke and that it wasn't too much work. I hope you'll make it again and again and great thinking on the substitutions!! Ania
felechia:
OK! I am making this! I will make the sausage roll and the gravy today and I will assemble it tomorrow. I have a couple of omnivores to impress and I think this will do it!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear! I hope that your mission will be successful and that your omnivores are the open-minded type ;) Good luck! Ania
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