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Vegetarian sausage rolls
Flaky Australian bakery-style rolls with a savoury mushroom, lentil, cheddar and sage filling, with tomato sauce for dipping
Sausage rolls are the snack of Australian bakeries, school canteens and footy grounds, eaten from a paper bag with a squeeze of tomato sauce, and they're on the table at every kids' party from Perth to Hobart, and across the Tasman too. This vegetarian version wraps crisp, buttery puff pastry around a savoury filling of browned mushrooms, lentils, carrot, cheddar and sage, firm enough to slice and with the peppery, herby taste of a good bakery roll. The meat original uses raw seasoned pork or beef mince in place of the filling, as noted in the steps. Chef's tip: cook the mushrooms until they are dry and browned; any leftover liquid will turn the pastry soggy from the inside.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the filling
For the pastry
To serve
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Fry 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add 2 cloves garlic for 1 minute.
6 minStep 2: Turn the heat to high, add 10 ½ oz chestnut mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 8–10 minutes. They'll release water, then it evaporates and they start to sizzle and brown. A common mistake is stopping while the pan is still wet: the filling must be dry, or the pastry turns soggy.
10 minStep 3: Stir in 1 carrot, 1 tsp dried sage, ½ tsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes until sticky. Tip into a bowl and cool for 10 minutes.
12 minStep 4: Add 14 oz tinned brown lentils and mash roughly with a fork, leaving some whole. Stir in 2 ½ oz dried breadcrumbs, 2 ⅛ oz mature cheddar (vegetarian rennet), ½ tsp salt, ¾ tsp black pepper and half the ½ egg. The mixture should hold firmly when squeezed. (For the meat version, use 500 g seasoned raw pork or beef sausage mince instead of this filling.)
3 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 400°F (375°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper. Cut each sheet of 1 ⅜ lb ready-rolled puff pastry in half lengthways to make 4 long strips.
Step 6: Spoon a quarter of the filling along each strip, shaping it into a firm log about 3 cm thick, slightly off-centre. Brush the far edge with the remaining ½ egg, fold the pastry over and press the seam with a fork. Chill for 10 minutes to firm.
15 minStep 7: Cut each log into 4–6 pieces, set seam-side down on the trays and snip two small slits in each top. Brush with egg and sprinkle with 1 tbsp sesame seeds.
3 minStep 8: Bake for 22–25 minutes, until puffed and deep golden, with the layers crisp and flaky at the sides.
25 minStep 9: Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm with 6 tbsp tomato sauce (ketchup). They reheat well in a hot oven for 8 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vegetarian sausage rolls take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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