Homemade Mediterranean-Style Vegetable Sausages and Variants

Common Base for Homemade Vegetable Sausages

Ingredients

• 200 g rehydrated textured pea protein (or crumbled firm tofu, or crumbled tempeh)

• 100 g chickpea flour (or wheat flour, oat flour)

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, for umami flavor)

• 150 ml water or vegetable broth

• Salt and pepper to taste

Base Preparation

1. Prepare the plant proteins

   • If using textured pea protein, rehydrate in hot water for 10–15 minutes, then drain well.

   • If using tofu or tempeh, crumble finely.

2. Mix the dough

   • In a large bowl, combine the plant proteins with the flour.

   • Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, nutritional yeast (if used), salt, and pepper.

   • Gradually pour in the water or broth, mixing until you have a homogeneous but not overly liquid paste.

3. Add spices as per the chosen variant (see below).

4. Shaping

   • On a clean surface, use plastic wrap or baking paper.

   • Place a portion of the paste (≈100 g) in the center, form it into an oblong shape, and compact it well.

   • Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to shape it like a sausage, twisting the ends to seal.

   • Repeat for each sausage.

5. Cooking

   • Steaming: cook for about 20–25 minutes.

   • Pan-frying: unwrap and fry in a bit of oil over medium heat, turning until golden (about 10 minutes).

   • Oven: place on a baking sheet and bake at 180 °C for about 20–30 minutes, turning halfway through.

Style Variants

• Merguez: paprika (sweet & smoked), cumin, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon, ras el hanout, black pepper.

• Chipolata: herbes de Provence, nutmeg, white pepper, coriander, garlic powder, grated lemon zest.

• Classic Hot Dog: sweet paprika, onion & garlic powder, thyme, oregano, brown sugar or maple syrup, optionally smoked paprika or liquid smoke.

• Italian Salsiccia: fennel, garlic, black pepper, sweet or Espelette paprika, oregano, basil, optional red wine or balsamic vinegar.

• Bratwurst (German): nutmeg, coriander, white pepper, garlic powder, thyme.

• Asian-style “lap cheong”: extra soy/tamari, brown sugar, grated fresh ginger, garlic, Chinese five-spice, white pepper.

• Spanish-style Chorizo: strong smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, hot paprika.

• Mediterranean with fresh herbs: rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano (fresh or dried), lemon zest, garlic powder, black pepper.

Storage

• Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

• Freezes well; best formed but uncooked.

Common Tips

• Adjust spice levels to your liking.

• Add vegetable purée (zucchini, sweet potato) for extra moisture.

• Wrapping in film helps maintain shape during cooking.