How to Make a Sausage Substitute

Sausages do not have to be made of meat to be tasty.

Sausage can be a wonderful, versatile accompaniment to a meal--or the main dish itself. But what if you don't have ready-made kielbasa on hand, or you are looking to lighten up your recipe with a non-meat-based sausage? If that's the case, give sausage substitutes a try. They can be easy to make and incorporate ingredients you already have in your pantry. Combinations can be endless, whether they be seafood or vegetable sausages, or patties and links made from legumes and grains.

Things You'll Need

• Skillet
• Broiler
• Food processor
• Textured vegetable protein
• Spices
• Whole wheat flour
• Eggs
• Cooked rice
• Cooked beans

Instructions

1. Buy textured vegetable protein to make a sausage substitute--it's available in most health food stores. TVP is a defatted soy flour product with a texture similar to ground meat. You will have to reconstitute it to soften the texture. With just a cup of TVP, you can make sausage substitute with just a few extra ingredients, a bowl and a skillet. Mix 1 tsp. each of thyme, sage and turmeric and 1/2 tsp. of coriander along with 1/4 tsp. of pepper together with the TVP. Add one cup of boiling water to the mixture and let stand for five minutes. Incorporate 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and two eggs. Shape 12 individual pieces into rounds and fry in oil until brown. This is not a vegan sausage substitute.

2. Make a grain-based sausage substitute. Combine 2 cups of cooked rice, 1 cup of cooked kidney beans, 1/4 cup egg substitute, 1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (reserved for later) and 3 tbsp. of Parmesan cheese. Again, this is not a vegan sausage substitute. Pulse the ingredients into a solid mass with a food processor. Saute a small onion in olive oil and add the cheese. In a large bowl, mix the rice, beans, egg substitute and 1 tsp. each of thyme, oregano and sage plus 1/4 tsp. dried cilantro. Stir in the onion mixture and place in the food processor. Do not puree; just bring the mass together and divide into eight parts. Form into links and roll in the bread crumbs. Place the links under a broiler on a sprayed baking sheet for five minutes until brown. Serve with one cup of warmed tomato puree.

3. Make a sausage substitute with beans as the central ingredient. Take 2 cups of cooked soybeans, 1 cup each of cooked kidney and navy beans and press them through a colander. Add 2 tsp. of salt, 1/8 tsp. each of paprika and summer savory, and 1/4 tsp. each of sage, thyme and marjoram. Shape the spicy bean mixture into patties. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Make a dipping mixture of one beaten egg and 2/3 cup of milk or milk substitute. Dip the patties into the milk mixture, then into 1 cup of cornmeal. Place in a well-greased roasting pan and bake until brown.

References

• Eating Vegetarian: Vegetarian Sausage
• Everyday Dish TV: Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausage
• Cooks: Vegetarian Sausage Recipes!