Looking for another dairy-free meal idea that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser? This dairy-free Sausage Plait is quick, easy to make and sure to fill hungry stomachs! It’s a cheap dairy-free meal if you are on a budget too. What’s not to like?
- Use your choice of sausages or sausage meat. This could be simple pork sausages or flavoured ones such as pork and apple or caramelised onion
- Uses ready-rolled puff pastry
- Ready for the oven in a matter of minutes
- Cheap ingredients
- Great for lunch, dinner
- Great for packed lunches too
- Makes a great centre-piece for a lunch with friends
- Perfect when served with a crisp side salad or pair it with vegetables or baked beans
- Cooks in around 40 minutes and can be served hot or cold
Which dairy-free puff pastry should I use?
There is plenty of ready-made puff pastry available in the supermarkets to choose from, so hopefully, you can find one that is suitable for your dietary needs. Jus-Rol offer ready-rolled puff pasty in the chilled section of supermarkets but also sell blocks in the freezer section. For ease, I have gone for ready-rolled puff pastry and decided to use the Lidl Chef Select, ready-rolled puff pastry for this recipe which cost me 79p. Aldi also sell puff pastry and most of the major supermarkets offer their own brands of this product. I have not looked at all of them but I have used Jus-Rol, Aldi, Lidl, Asda and Tesco. Asda offer a ‘Free-From’ puff pastry as well. You will need to check the labels to ensure suitably for your own needs.
Which sausages should I use?
You will need 400g of sausages or sausage meat for this recipe, depending on how thick you want this to be. There are plenty of sausages around that do not contain dairy so you should find some suitable for your needs. In this instance, I used a packet of 8 Thick Richmond Sausages which weighed 410g because I had them in the freezer and wanted to use them up. This made a sausage plait that served at least 8 slices as it is so filling. My favourite sausages in this house are from Asda and Aldi which both suit our needs.
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Mixing bowl
- Ovenproof baking tray
- Pastry brush
Dairy-Free Sausage Plaint Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pack of sausages approx 400g (or sausage meat)
- 1 pack of ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 beaten egg or a little dairy-free milk for glazing
- A little flour for dusting
- Olive oil
- SERVES 4-6 depending on portion size
- COOKS in approx 40 minutes
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C / 180 Fan / Gas 6. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit in the skin of the sausages, which should allow you to peel away the skins and discard them. Place the skinless sausages in a mixing bowl and set aside for a moment. Unwrap the puff pastry and lay it out on a chopping board.
Lightly dust the sausages and your hands with flour to stop them from sticking and mould the sausages into a ball. Once you have done this, roll the sausage meat between your hands and roll it into a sausage shape the length of the pastry. You can use a floured chopping board for this if you find it easier. Make sure the sausage meat is of an even thickness and place lengthways in the centre of the puff pastry. Don’t take the sausage meat all the way to the end of the pastry, leaving a small gap at each end.
Using a sharp knife, make approximately 12-14 cuts at a downward sloping angle on each side of the sausage about 1.5cm – 2cm apart. Make sure you have the same amount of cuts on each side and they are roughly even but don’t worry about being so precise. As you can see from the photos, mine is cut approximately and not precise. Do not cut too close to the sausage meat.
Starting at the top with the cuts facing downwards simply fold the flaps of pastry over the sausage meat alternating between left and right. Once you get to the bottom of the plait, cut off any spare pieces of pasty and press the end closed. Transfer to a lightly oiled baking tray. Brush with beaten egg (I used egg) or dairy-free milk to glaze and place in the centre of the oven. Bake for 40 minutes ensuring the pastry is golden and cooked through. Cooking times may vary depending on your oven. Once cooked allow to stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving plate or chopping board to cut into slices.
Serving Suggestions
The number of people it serves will vary depending on the thickness of the slices. I like to serve it warm, with a crispy salad in the summer as it is quite filling on its own but you can serve it with beans, hoops or vegetables as you wish. Our girls like to enjoy it with beans. It’s also great for packed lunches and picnics and it makes a great centrepiece for a buffet lunch.
Alternative sausage flavours
There are so many sausages with different flavour combinations in the supermarket. As long as the sausages are appropriate for your dietary needs, you can switch the flavours according to what you prefer.
Budget Conscious Dairy-Free Meals
With the cost of food going up all the time, I’m always looking for cost-conscious dairy-free meal ideas to serve my family. For this meal, the Richmond Sausages are currently priced at around £2 (I had some in the freezer) and the puff pastry was 95p in Lidl. This provided a filling meal for a family of four with some leftovers for another time with ingredients costing £2.95
Dairy-Free Sausage Plait
Equipment
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- mixing bowl
- Ovenproof baking tray
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 1 400g pack Sausages Or sausage meat
- 1 pack Ready-rolled puff pastry
- 1 Egg Or a little dairy-free milk
- Flour for dusting
- Olive oil To grease baking tray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 180 Fan / Gas 6
- Using a sharp knife, cut a slit in the skin of the sausages, which should allow you to peel away the skins and discard them.
- Place the skinless sausages in a mixing bowl and set them aside for a moment.
- Unwrap the puff pastry and lay it out on a chopping board.
- Lightly dust the sausages and your hands with flour to stop them from sticking and mould the sausages into a ball.
- Once you have done this, still using your hands, roll it into one long sausage shape, the length of your pastry. You could use a floured chopping board for this if you find it easier.
- Make sure the sausage meat is roughly an even thickness and place lengthways in the centre of the puff pastry.
- Don't take the sausage meat all the way to the end of the pastry, leaving a small gap at each end.
- Using a sharp knife, make approximately 12 - 14 cuts in the pastry at a downward sloping angle on each side of the sausage about 1.5cm - 2cm apart. Make sure you have the same amount of cuts on each side and they are roughly even, but don't worry about being too precise.
- Starting at the top, with the cuts facing downwards, fold the flaps of pastry over the sausage meat, alternating between left and right as you go. Once you get to the bottom of the plait, cut off any spare pieces of pastry and press the end closed.
- Transfer to a lightly oiled baking tray and brush with beaten egg or dairy-free milk to glaze.
- Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 40 minutes ensuring the pastry is golden and cooked through. Cooking times may vary depending on your oven.
- Once cooked, allow it to stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a serving plate or chopping board to cut into slices.
Notes
*As always, it is essential you check the labels of all food, every time as manufacturing processes can change at any time.
Are you stuck for dairy-free meal ideas? Then how about giving this delicious dairy-free sausage plait a try? Quick, easy and totally delicious. Or how about some great-tasting dairy-free beef burgers?
