Vegetarian sausages and mash recipe

This vegetarian sausages and mash recipe means vegetarians don't have to miss out on the classic: bangers and mash, thanks to this delicious meat-free version. It takes only 20 minutes to prepare and can also be adapted to suit vegans too. The breadcrumb coated vegetarian sausages are made with cannellini beans, smoked paprika and onion, meaning they're packed full of delicious flavour. These homemade vegetarian sausages are so much better than any shop-bought version, plus you know exactly what ingredients are going into them. This recipe serves 4 people, is child-friendly and should take about 40 mins to cook. Tuck into meat-free eats and enjoy!

Ingredients

For the sausages:

• 2tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1tsp smoked sweet paprika
• 1 standard can of cannellini beans, drained
• 50g wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 100g vegetarian smoked Applewood cheese (*use smoked tofu plus 50g finely chopped hazelnuts for vegan version)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large free range eggs, beaten (*omit for vegan version)
• 50g wholemeal breadcrumbs, for coating (*use finely chopped nuts for vegan version)

For the mash:

• 1kg white potatoes and other seasonal root vegetables, peeled and chopped
• 100g kale, chopped
• A knob of butter/vegan margarine
• 2 tsp hot horseradish sauce (*use vegan version if preferred)

To serve:

• 500g broad beans
• 500g peas

Method

1. Fry the onions in 1tbsp of oil until soft then add the garlic and smoked sweet paprika. Continue to fry for another 30 seconds.
2. Put the fried onion mixture in a food processor along with the beans, breadcrumbs and cheese, and season with salt and pepper. Whizz until the mixture becomes a paté consistency.
3. Form and roll the mixture into 8 sausages. Dip each one in the beaten egg and then roll in the extra breadcrumbs. Shallow fry the sausages two at a time, turning only when the bottoms have browned first to avoid their falling apart. (*If making the vegan version, coat in the nuts and grill under a moderate heat, turning occasionally.) This should take around 8 minutes.
4. While the sausages are cooking prepare your mash by boiling the vegetables for 20-25 minutes, or until soft. Drain and mash thoroughly. Stir in the butter or vegan margarine and horseradish.
5. Serve the sausage with the mash, peas, broad beans and your favourite onion gravy.