Vegetarian Toad in the Hole with Red Onion Gravy

This classic English recipe is made vegetarian by using veggie sausages. Serve this toad in the hole with an amazing red onion gravy and some greens for a comforting cold weather dinner.

It seems like I've become mildly obsessed with classic recipes made vegetarian. After my vegetarian shepherd's pie the other day followed by vegetarian spaghetti and meatballs I am finding new ways to enjoy the most comforting of classic recipes.

Just to clarify, this hasn't suddenly become a vegetarian blog. I promise I still love meat. It's just that Will and I have started only eating meat at the weekends so we've been trying out all kinds of vegetarian recipes and it's turned out to be so fun.

So I'm all about the comfort food. The minute it ticked over to October I immediately started planning my comfort food intake. Even though it's actually been unusually warm for October I can definitely feel a chill in the air and I'm ready for all the warm food cuddles.

As I said, we're eating vegetarian on the weekdays which I think will be our new permanent state of being. I'm barely even noticing it anymore and I've been enjoying eating vegetarian food soooo much.

So one of my favourite things we've been doing is making vegetarian versions of some of my favourite meaty foods like this vegetarian toad in the hole.

Why we love this toad in the hole recipe:

• This is similar to a traditional toad in the hole recipe using Yorkshire pudding batter but with vegetarian sausages
• You can use whatever your favourite brand of vegetarian sausages is
• It's perfect comfort food which is guaranteed to warm you up on a cold night
• If you prefer a meaty version then you can switch to pork sausages

WHERE DOES THE PHRASE TOAD IN THE HOLE COME FROM?

So, turns out no one really knows why it's called toad in the hole 🤷

Some people have suggested it comes from the way toads hide in holes waiting for their prey and their heads peep out the way the sausages peep out of the batter. Which is kind of gross.

The main thing I did take out of my research is that it was never actually made from toad. Which I think is a relief for all of us.

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE VEGETARIAN TOAD IN THE HOLE?

• Eggs
• Oil
• Milk
• Flour
• Dijon Mustard (Use up the leftovers in the dressing for this baked halloumi and winter panzanella)
• Dried Thyme
• Vegetarian Sausages

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE RED ONION GRAVY?

• Red Onion
• Butter (Use any extra up in the garlic butter for these roast chicken sandwiches)
• Flour
• Vegetable Stock
• Port

Keep scrolling to get the full recipe for vegetarian toad in the hole with red onion gravy...

Toad in the hole is just one of those perfect classic recipes. It's stodgy and meaty (or fake meaty in this context) and goes perfectly with gravy which is one of the single greatest inventions of all time, I think we can all agree.

In this version we used vegetarian sausages. We've been trying out some different types and we both agree that the ones we used for this toad in the hole are our favourites.

They're Linda McCartney red onion and rosemary sausages and they have such a good flavour for classic recipes like this.

HOW DO YOU MAKE TOAD IN THE HOLE?

1. Heat the oven and place a baking dish with the oil into the oven to heat up.
2. Whisk together the milk, egg, salt, mustard and thyme then slowly add the flour. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
3. While the batter is resting take the baking dish out the oven and add the sausages. Return to the oven and cook the sausages for 5 minutes on each side.
4. Take the dish out again and pour in the batter. Cook for 20-25 minutes until puffed up and golden.

This is how long it took our sausages to cook and they were perfect but you might need to adjust the timings if you're using a different type of vegetarian sausage.

HOW DO YOU MAKE RED ONION GRAVY?

1. Melt the butter over a low heat and slowly caramelise the onions.
2. Add the flour and stir before slowly pouring in the stock and port.
3. Bring to the boil then simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

This is just THE BEST gravy. It's super easy but has so much flavour from those caramelised red onions and port. If you'd rather not use port then it would work with red wine instead. Or alternatively just add a little more stock in its place.

What to serve with toad in the hole?

I served this with tender stem broccoli, mashed potato and that delicious red onion gravy along with a big dollop of English mustard because I like it hot! Any vegetables you fancy would work great with this.

Expert tips for making toad in the hole:

• Make sure you rest the batter for at least 15 minutes before making the toad in the hole
• It's also key to cook the sausages in the same roasting tin or baking dish you're using to make the toad in the hole as it needs to be hot when you add the batter
• You can, of course, use pork sausages for this toad in the hole if you prefer, just adjust the cooking times according to packet instructions

Want more? Get all my other vegetarian recipes before you go or try the ones below:

• Easy Mixed Bean Chilli with Roasted Red Peppers
• Vegetable Panang Curry
• Mushroom Burger with Pearl Barley
• Spring Pesto Pasta Bake
• 15 Minute Noodle Salad with Peanut Sesame Dressing
• Easy One Pot Vegetarian Lasagne

Recipe

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