When I first made these un- sausage rolls a few years ago, my died- in- the-wool vegetarian daughter didn’t enjoy them because they tasted too much like the real thing, that is, sausage meat. Like that old advertisement, ‘I can’t believe it’s not butter’, one might exclaim, ‘I can’t believe it’s not a sausage roll.’ They’re a lot healthier than the real thing and great to have stashed in the freezer for the silly season. Sausage roll connoisseurs and those with a hangover may feel a little cheated of the fat and unctuous smell. Most will not even notice. Pass the tomato sauce please.
This recipe is for mini bite- sized rolls. If you prefer a larger lunchtime shape, cut the puff pastry squares into halves and fill more generously .
Ingredients.
Before you gather your ingredients, remove the four sheets of puff pastry from the freezer and defrost.
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup well-drained ricotta cheese
- ½ cup crushed walnuts
- 2½ Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups breadcrumbs made from stale bread
- 1 ½ cups rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 3 sheets frozen puff pastry
Method
- Heat oven to 18oc fan forced and line biscuit trays with baking paper, or grease if you prefer.
- Mix walnuts, eggs, ricotta cheese, onion and soy sauce together in a large bowl.
- Add rolled oats, breadcrumbs, herbs, parmesan and salt and pepper and mix well.
- Cut pastry sheets into thirds and lay a thin strip of mixture down the middle of each sheet.
- Roll up and seal edges with milk.
- Flatten the backs of the rolls gently with the back of a knife then cut into 5 or 6 pieces.
- Brush each roll with eggwash and place on the baking trays.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until golden and cool on a wire rack.
Any scraps of leftover puff pastry can be twisted into shapes and dusted with parmesan then baked until golden.
This recipe is adapted from veggiemama’s version. I have added dried mixed herbs for that old-fashioned sausage roll taste. As I tend to have ricotta on hand, I use this. Mixing by hand is preferable when using ricotta. Other recipes ‘out there’ use fetta or cottage cheese. I have avoided the addition of lentils, as much as I love them, as meat eaters tend to detect them a mile off. And no grated carrots!
ALMOST ITALIAN 
These sound lovely. Love the walnut addition. Some parsley would be nice too methinks?
LikeLike
Yes, but the parsley taste might get lost in the hot baking. The old daggy dried herbs makes them ‘molto Australiani’ and a bit retro.
LikeLiked by 2 people
But at least you can taste the dried herbs after the hot baking. Good old molto Australiani…LOL
LikeLiked by 2 people
Wow, this is perfect for my child who is now vegan! Thank you xx
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think he/she will love them but not if truely vegan. I hoovered quite a few when they emerged from the oven. They do contain eggs and ricotta though so if the child is vegan, you may need to look for a carrot/lentil version and avoid pastry containing buitter, and no egg wash and no milk to seal.
LikeLike
Children shouldn’t be vegans; it’s not good for them when they are growing up. Their bodies need protein from animal produce. If they are vegetarians that’s OK because eggs, milk & fish are included.
LikeLike
Vegetarians don’t strictly eat fish at all.In India,eggs are always listed in the meat menu.Vegans can source good forms of protein from beans and pulses,and nuts used as butters,rice and almond milk and through food combining . It takes dedication to get it right.
I prefer to call myself a pescatarian, given my love of fish, the animals of the sea.
LikeLike
I know beans & soy milk have protein but most doctors will frown on putting a child on a vegan diet – not good for their development. It’s OK when they are adult, a different story. Fish is so good for kids too along with eggs.
LikeLike
These might be fine for vegetarians Francesca but tell Andrew to make the “normal” ones for Christmas Day! All the same, I might make these for Sophie’s visit in December as she is a vego.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Don’t worry Chris, Andrew will make the meaty classics from Margaret Fulton, running with fat and who knows what from the sausage mince.
I have some veggo ones for Sophie on the day- they will be labelled veggo- the carnivores will be directed elsewhere. Hands off meat eaters! I think the veggo camp has grown and we have a couple of extra family recruits.
LikeLiked by 1 person
If these are too good for a vegetarian, I’m sure they’d be more than good enough for me. Oh! You’re right about the lentils. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no, not more vego recruits – the good news is we meat eaters can eat vegetarian dishes but the vego’s can’t eat our meat dishes, hee hee hee!
LikeLike
That is the problem-meat eaters are a greedy lot.
LikeLike
Yes most of us have big bellies and even bigger appetites hee hee hee.
Maybe they should be served on different tables 🙂 – Vegos only here, Sharp Teeth only here hee hee hee
LikeLiked by 1 person
These look so yum! I’m going to try this tomorrow! Thanks so much for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Perfect party food. Love the non-greasy filling. On the list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These look great, thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
These look much better that sausage rolls!
LikeLike
They are just as good, if not better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nice!
LikeLike
Thanks Maree- at last the veggos get to score.
LikeLike
Bring them on .. Delicious!
LikeLike
Handy little bites.x
LikeLiked by 1 person
These look brilliant, will be giving them a shot at some point this silly season as we are overrun by vego’s. Last count there were 7 in a big family gathering of 21.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We have 30 coming to the ‘event’ ( see- I didn’t use the c word). Last count there were 6 veggos- but then all the carnivores head straight to the vegetarian food first. Sometimes Rachael and I have resorted to serving strategies at parties- always bring the veggo food out last when the meat eaters have filled their plates!
I have a cute grandson who is 7 and announces that he is vegetarian- oh except for the salami, oh and maybe some bolognese. Hahha, kids crack me up.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Your family could be my family, so funny, all the meat eaters equally head for the vego food as well. (Despite still adoring the seafood and ham.) Your wee grandson is adorable. The year old in this house also recently announced that he was going to be vegetarian like Dad, except for bacon….kids are totally hilarious. 30 is even more than us though, nice one Mrs Italian.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My eldest son ( carnivore) explained why he eats the veggo food first- because it tastes better and it is usually more interesting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
He must be pulling your leg!
LikeLike
I’m sceptical that commercial sausage rolls contain much meat at all, and what they do you wouldn’t want to eat… I’m one of the guilty non-vego party that eats the vego offerings… they always seem nicer than the ‘standard’ fare… and I do love a good sausage roll with a smear of tomato sauce.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My extended family go nuts over sausage rolls- the real ones made of fat and sawdust and, even as a veggo, I have been known to grab one or two and dunk them straight into a bowl of sauce. Now that the number of veggos in the larger group is growing, I now feel compelled to make these ones- and they are pretty good.
LikeLike
I’m up for any sort of sausage roll-vegetarian or not! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gosh – it’s the season for sausage roll posts! Great new blog look by the way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would love these with mushrooms too, but again that would probably taste too much like actual vegetables 🙂
LikeLike