Vegan lentil sausage recipe

Vegan lentil sausage recipe

If you are looking for a quick and easy lunch or dinner time meal, then try our vegan lentil sausage recipe.

Lentils are a fantastic source of vegan protein. Read this month´s article on vegan protein for more information about what our bodies need protein for, plus tips on other sources of vegan protein. (link to vegan protein article).

This recipe works well with our BBQ sauce, carrot and turnip mash (or sweet potato mash) and broccoli. You could also serve with creole aubergines and curried millet for a complete and tasty meal.

To make it even easier for yourself, you could make a large amount of the “sausage” mixture, then freeze the extra sausages to make a quick and easy meal later on in the week. Simply remove the sausages from the freezer before you go to work to allow them to defrost and cook when you get home. Easy.

Vegan lentil sausage recipe

Makes: 20
Calories: 976 (per sausage 50)

Ingredients

400g dry lentils (we like brown ones for this recipe)
1 onion – finely chopped
2 garlic cloves – crushed
200g tomato puree
½ tsp fresh ginger – finely chopped
1 handful fresh herbs (thyme or oregano) – chopped
1 tsp dried herbs (thyme or oregano)
1 large tbsp wholegrain mustard
Fine oats to bind

Method

Rinse the lentils beneath cold running water and place in a pan. Cover with cold water or homemade vegetable stock. Turn on the heat to high and bring the water to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, turn down the heat and cook the lentils for approximately one hour – check the instructions on the packet for the cooking time (it will vary depending upon the lentils that you use). (For added flavour you can add some extra finely diced onion and garlic into the cooking water).

While the lentils are cooking, cook the garlic and onion until the onion is soft and starting to brown. We use a large frying pan for this, with water to prevent sticking (use water instead of oil and keep adding a drop more water every now and again. Using water instead of oil keeps the calorie count lower). Once the onions are lightly brown, remove the pan from the heat and places the onion and garlic into a bowl. Allow to cool.

Heat the oven (or grill) to a medium heat. Line a baking sheet with paper.

Once the lentils are cooked, drain well and leave to cool. (By draining and leaving the lentils to cool you will reduce the water content, meaning you will need less oats to make the mixture bind together).

Put the lentils into a mixing bowl with the cooked onion and garlic mixture. Add the tomato puree, ginger, fresh and dried herbs and mustard. Stir well. If needed, add some oats to bind the mixture, mixing well. (Add a small amount first, stir well. Add more if needed). You can leave the mixture to stand for 30 minutes first, as this will allow the oats to soak up any excess liquid, making the mixture bind together more easily.

Add the mixture to the blender and blend lightly, making sure the mixture does not become too smooth.

Using your hands, make a golf ball size mound, then roll into a sausage shape. Place the sausages on a baking sheet and into the heated oven (or under the grill). Cook for 15-20 minutes or until brown.

Serve hot.

Variations

Once you have tried this recipe, you can start to experiment with the flavour. A popular meat version is sage and onion – so replace the herbs (thyme or oregano) with sage. You can also add spices to the recipe: 1 tsp paprika, ½ tsp chilli powder or spicy sauce all work well.

You could also consider adding mushroom, or nuts, to give a different flavour and texture.

For a chunkier sausage, don´t blend the mixture; simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl, squish together with your hands and then make into a sausage.

More vegan recipes

We publish a new vegan recipe from the retreat kitchen every month on our blog. Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter (fill in your contact details in the box), for recipes to be delivered to your inbox. Come try the fantastic plant-based (vegan) food for yourself – we love serving these sausages on our “BBQ” night.

About the author

Lisa
Lisa
Lisa is one of the founders of La Crisalida Retreats. She is an Epidemiologist, therapeutic hatha and yin yoga teacher and also teaches mindfulness meditation. Lisa has studied NLP and hypnosis, as well as nutrition (she designs the menus).