Cottage rolls are the new sausage rolls even meat lovers will devour

If you want a vegetarian sausage roll that tastes and smells as alluring as the meaty kind, this is the recipe for you.

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I’m always on a quest to discover the perfect sausage roll. This led me to my most recent sausage roll breakthrough: discovering the secret ingredient that bakeries use to make the best-ever sausage rolls (still in shock about that one). 

So naturally, I was all ears when the subject of favourite sausage roll recipes came up during a lunchtime chat in our office. Everyone delved deep. I shared my tried and trusted, go-to sausage roll recipe, the famous Thai chicken green curry winners got a fair few shout-outs, and then our Food Director Michelle Southan dropped this vegetarian wild card: cottage rolls. 

Did she just say cottage rolls? I was so intrigued by the ingredients: nuts, carrot, soy sauce, OATS and COTTAGE CHEESE that I just had to try the recipe. 

After seeing cottage cheese and mustard all over TikTok (yes, I was influenced and now eat cottage cheese and mustard on the regular), I just knew these would be delicious. 

In fact, Michelle confirmed that this gem of a recipe: “weirdly tastes like meat and even smells like regular sausage rolls when they are cooking”. 

Our Recipes Editor and Food Writer, Sonya, was similarly influenced by our Food Director’s claim and made them for her family that afternoon. As a vego for more than 20 years, she is basically a vegetarian sausage connoisseur and, in her opinion, we trust. 

Sonya says: “Ideal for not only for vegos like myself, but for my ravenous children too, these perfect little picnic bites or party snacks with their golden brown puff pastry casings include hidden vegetables (hello, grated carrot), walnuts (or pecans, if you prefer), protein-rich cottage cheese and eggs, plus soy sauce for added depth of flavour and bread crumbs to bolster the meat-free mixture. For me, it was love at first bite and I can already tell I’ll be making these regularly for my family (but mostly for me). Better yet, we use a food processor to do the heavy lifting. Hooray!”

What makes these the best vegetarian sausage rolls?

We’re all familiar with the usual vegetarian sausage roll options: spinach and ricotta, sweet potato and feta, lentil and mushroom, etc. But if you want a vego sauso roll that even a die-hard meat eater would devour, these cottage rolls are the one to try. 

There are a few vital elements that make a good sausage roll. They must have a crispy pastry shell and a moist, savoury, well-balanced filling, and these tick all the boxes. It’s the magical blend of soy sauce, the addition of pecans or walnuts, cottage cheese and oats mingling together to create the most umami-rich, meaty roll. 

Taste.com.au‘s Food Director, Michelle Southan, explains: “It’s the combination of the pecans or walnuts with soy sauce that gives them that real meaty taste.” 

Plus, the versatile cheese, eggs and oats not only pack the protein but also serve as a great savoury addition to these treats, bringing moisture without overpowering the flavour.

They couldn’t be easier to make: just process the cottage cheese, eggs, onion, pecans or walnuts and soy sauce. Add in carrot, breadcrumbs and oats and roll the mixture into store-bought puff pastry. 

Here’s our cottage rolls recipe.

Aussies reveal their secret sausage roll ingredients

Curious about what other Aussies are putting in their sausage rolls to take them to the next level? We definitely are, so we put the question to our Facebook followers… and wow. It turns out that many swear by Worcestershire sauce and grated apples. Some were also partial to a dash of curry powder and a dash of Vegemite, while quite a few like to add some chutney to their filling. So. Many. Sausage. Rolls. To. Try. 

Here are some other clever ideas that caught our eye:

“Packet of French onion soup.” – Jeannette

“Grated halloumi cheese and chutney.” – Sheila

“Weetbix and crushed garlic.” – Jo

“Chicken noodle soup mix” – Sally

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Originally published as Cottage rolls are the new sausage rolls even meat lovers will devour