Vegan Roasted Capsicum & Red Lentil Sausage Recipe

Smoked & Cured isn’t just about smoking and curing meat. We also carry a wide range of unique products that add delicious flavours to vegan and vegetarian food and cooking. It’s no secret that veganism is on the rise and we are happy to be able to cater to the growing number of people who choose to follow alternative diets. 

This easy vegan sausage recipe was really tasty and is a great way to get some veggies into your diet. The great thing about sausages is that you can experiment with different flavours and spices and tweak things to your own personal taste. Add in as much or as little chilli as you want and experiment with different herbs such as thyme or rosemary if you prefer. These vegan sausages will also taste great with some liquid smoke, particularly our Misty Gully Outback Campfire flavour. You could also add in some cheese (if not vegan) or a dairy free alternative for an extra bite. We used fire roasted capsciums strips from the jar for convenience, however, you could roast 2-3 capsicums in the oven until the skin becomes blistered and then cut into strips if preferred. 

The sausage mixture can be a little soft even after cooking, so in terms of texture they’re not exactly like meat sausages. However, we really enjoyed the taste of these sausages and think they’re a great alternative! We found the Xanthan Gum to be really important for binding all the ingredients together and thickening up the mixture, so don’t skimp out on this ingredient! 

This recipe has no Vital Wheat Gluten which is a common ingredient in vegan sausages, however, we wanted to keep it as simple as possible with all ingredients that you can find at your local supermarket. You could add Vital Wheat Gluten to your recipe if you wanted to experiment with it and get a more meat sausage consistency – if you take this step we’d recommend leaving out the Xanthan Gum as the sausages will end up too firm otherwise. Vital Wheat Gluten can be found at health food shops or online. 

The vegan sausage casings are really easy to use, we sell them in sizes 23mm and 32mm. We found the texture of the vegan sausage casings quite realistic, we couldn’t tell them apart from animal casings. Once cooked, the casings didn’t split and when biting into them they had a nice firm snap. The casings can’t be boiled or steamed and you can coat them in a little oil before cooking to give them a nice sheen. 

Vegan Roasted Capsicum & Red Lentil Sausages Recipe

Prep time: 50 minutes Cook time: 20 minutes Total time: 70 minutes

Equipment needed: Sausage stuffer, food processor

Makes: 12 sausages

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked red split lentils 
• 1 cup roasted capsicum strips 
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp chilli flakes 
• Handful of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp Xanthan Gum 
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt (add more to taste) 
• Cracked pepper to taste 
• ¾ cup breadcrumbs 
• Size 23mm Vegan Sausage Casings

Method: 

1. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer red lentils for 8-10 minutes or until soft.
2. Add the cooked red lentils, capsicum strips, crushed garlic, paprika, oregano, onion powder, chilli flakes, parsley, Xanthan Gum, salt and pepper to a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs. Mix together until the mixture thickens.
4. Spoon the mixture into your sausage stuffer, making sure you push the mixture down to reduce any air bubbles. 
5. Tie a knot at one end of your sausage casings and put the skins onto the nozzle of the sausage stuffer. 
6. Squeeze the mixture slowly into the casings, making sure you place a little bit of pressure onto the casing with your thumb and forefinger to help guide the sausage as the mixture comes out. 
7. Twist the casing when you have your desired size sausage and continue filling and twisting until you’ve used all the mixture.
8. Tie a knot at the end when all mixture is used (you can cut the sausages to separate them or cook them while still together) 
9. Heat a little oil in a medium frying pan and cook your sausages for a couple of minutes on each side until browned and slightly crispy. 
10. Serve with your favourite sauce and enjoy. If you need a new sauce suggestion check out our new Misty Gully Outback Campfire BBQ Sauce!

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