Vegan Italian Sausage (Seitan Sausages)
A homemade vegan sausage made from vital wheat gluten and spices to taste like an authentic Italain sausage.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (or 1/4 cup sun-dried tomaotes)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons Italian herbs mix
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 7 oz. tofu (1/2 of a 14 oz block of tofu- pressed)
- 1 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (Use less or omit if you don't want spicy sausages.)
Instructions
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Add water, oil, soy sauce, salt, and spices to a saucepan and heat until it starts to boil, then turn off the heat and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes.
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Press 1/2 a block (7 oz.) of tofu and crumble it into a food processor or blender, then pour in the spiced broth.
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Blend until it turns to a creamy thick liquid.
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Pour into a glass bowl.
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Add 1 cup of vital wheat gluten and mix well until a thick dough forms.
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Add another 1/3 cup of vital wheat gluten and knead it into the dough until all of the wheat gluten has been absorbed and no longer feels wet.
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Form the dough into the shape of a sausage, and wrap the sausage tightly in foil.
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Steam the wrapped sausages in a large pot with a steamer basket for 45 minutes. (You can also use a pressure cooker on Instant Pot. Cook under pressure for 30 minutes and then allow steam to release naturally.)
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Take them out of the pot with tongs and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes before opening the packets. (I always get too excited to see my sausages and get burnt with the steam when I open the foil too soon.)
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At this point, they are ready to eat or you can grill or fry them. You can also cut them up and add them to your favorite Italian meals.
Recipe Notes
- Knead the seitan until all of the gluten flour is incorporated and you have a dough that's a little firmer than you would have for bread. Only knead it for about 30- 60 seconds so your wheat meat doesn't get too chewy.
- If you want perfectly formed sausages, wrap the dough in the desired shape in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes before taking off the plastic and wrapping it in foil.
- If you don't want the foil to touch your food, you can wrap the sausage in parchment paper first, and then wrap the foil around that.