As a vegetarian I have never been keen on all the fake meats available from supermarkets, the overly processed concoctions made to look and taste like meat. Kind of unpleasant and certainly not all that healthy. So when I saw this recipe for homemade vegetarian sausages posted by Joana on one of my favourite fellow veggie blogs, Veggies on the Counter, I was super excited.

Is it ok to admit that I have never in my life tried, let alone made seitan? I have certainly seen it in recipe books used as a meat alternative but, never until now, tried to make it in my own kitchen. And now that I have, boy there is no turning back!! Joana’s seitan sausage recipe is simple to follow and prepare and I am excited by the possibilities of adapting the homemade vegan sausages to a huge variety of flavour combinations.

For this vegan recipe Cam and I brainstormed and came up with a combination of some of our favourite ingredients, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion and pine nuts. The vegetarian sausages have a remarkable texture and with all the added ingredients, great flavour!! And I love that you know exactly what is in them, no hidden additives or preservatives.

You could serve these homemade seitan sausages however you like, with veggies, on a hotdog bun, a sandwich, in a stew or pasta or simply as we enjoyed them, with a serve of soft polenta, homemade tomato sauce and baby spinach {recipe below}.

Try your own added ingredients and make up sausages to suit you and your family’s taste. I have a feeling Cam and I will be making these often, thanks so much Joana for sharing this great recipe and please everyone check out here beautiful blog Veggies on the Counter.

Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages
Preparation time: 80mins // Makes 4 large Sausages

for the sausages

• ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
• ½ a red onion
• 1 red chilli
• 75g (2½ oz) sundried tomatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1¼ cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 250g (½ lb.) gluten flour (wheat gluten)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• 4 x pieces of cheesecloth 30×30 cm each
• 8 x pieces of kitchen twine

for the cooking broth

• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 2 bay leaves

By hand or in a food processor finely dice/mince the toasted pine nuts, red onion, chilli and sundried tomatoes.

Whisk the stock with the olive oil and tomato paste until smooth.

Combine the gluten flour with the dried thyme, paprika and processed pine nut/sundried tomato mixture in a large bowl. Slowly add the stock mixture to the dry mixture, combine until you have a smooth, elastic dough.

Divide the dough into four equal portions, roll out each portion to form a sausage, place each sausage onto a piece of cheesecloth, roll tightly and tie off each end securely with pieces of twine.

Bring the stock, garlic and bay leaves to boil in a deep-sided pan, add the sausages, side-by-side and turn down the heat, allow to gently simmer for 45-50 minutes until the sausages are firm to the touch.

Once the sausages are cooked remove from the pan and allow to cool before carefully removing the cheesecloth. {Sausages can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week in an air tight container with the cooking liquid}

Sausages can then be fried in a pan until golden and added to your favourite recipes, like pasta, stews or as below.

This seitan sausage recipe was adapted from Veggie on the Counter’s Homemade Seitan Sausage recipe. Please follow the link and check out Joana’s beautiful veggie blog!

Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages w/ Soft Polenta & Pan Roasted Tomato Sauce
Preparation Time: 30 mins // Serves 4

• 2 -4 Seitan Sausages

Pan Roasted Tomato Sauce

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1-2 tsp brown sugar or maple syrup
• 2 tbs tomato paste

Soft Polenta

• 1 cup polenta (cornmeal)
• 3 cups vegetable stock

to serve

• 250g (½ pound) baby spinach, washed

To make the tomato sauce heat the oil in a small heavy-based frypan, add the tomato wedges and garlic, pan roast over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes allowing tomatoes to soften.

Add the sugar or maple syrup and continue to pan roast, add the tomato paste, season to taste with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper and using a wooden spoon crush/mash the tomatoes to form a thick sauce, keep warm until ready to serve.

Fry the sausages in a little vegetable oil over a medium-high heat until golden, remove from the pan and slice into rounds.

To prepare the polenta bring the stock to a gentle simmer, add the cornmeal in a steady stream and whisk over a gentle heat for 15-20 minutes until soft and creamy. Serve immediately with fried sausages, topped with tomato sauce and a side of baby spinach leaves.