Smoky sausage over a cloud of fluffy mashed potatoes and drenched in a sweet and tangy red wine-based gravy makes these All Diet-Friendly Bangers and Mash an outrageously delicious dish!
This recipe is influenced by my husband’s British roots and all-around love for any sauce or gravy. And with its many variations, literally, everyone can enjoy it—meat-eaters and vegans alike!
Bangers and Mash Frequently Asked Questions
Like all of my recipes, I try to make them adaptable to pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan diets. If you’re a meat-eater, you can choose from chicken, pork, or beef sausage for this recipe.
Vegetarian and vegan sausage is easy to find. If you’re vegan, just make sure to use nondairy milk, vegan butter, and a vegan gravy starter. I use Bisto Gravy Granules (affiliate link), which is safe for vegans! Otherwise, all of the other ingredients are safe!
Well, they’re sausages, of course! The nickname u0022bangersu0022 has been around for decades after fillers in sausages during a meat shortage in England made them sputter and sometimes even explode in the pan! And like all ridiculous monikers, u0022Bangers and Mashu0022 stuck.
Luckily, the chance of sausage explosion these days is pretty much zero. But just the act of calling them Bangers makes them taste more authentically British, don’t you think?
Heaven.
No, but seriously, it’s red wine-based, so it has a lot of depth even with such few ingredients. The bitterness of the wine is balanced out by the sweetness of the caramelized red onions and brown sugar.
The gravy granules act both as a thickener and as salt content. The trick is to get your onions super soft, so they kinda just melt into the gravy and provide little bursts of flavor in every bite.
Go for something a little less sweet. No need to use your fancy wines for cooking, I usually find a Pinot Noir on sale and use that! Because the top shelf stuff should be saved for sipping.
This recipe can easily be doubled. The current recipe yields more than enough gravy for two, but if you’re buying more sausage, double the quantity in the gravy, too.
It’s important that you have enough to cover the sausages completely for them to cook in the oven.
If you’re entertaining or meal prepping for later in the week, the best thing to do is make your mashed potatoes and gravy ahead of time. Then, when you’re ready for this mouth-watering meal, brown your sausage, throw them in the pre-made gravy and chuck them in the oven.
You can just reheat your mashed potatoes and pour your sausage and gravy over them fresh and hot out of the oven.
Green tip: Industrial meat production has a huge impact on the environment, especially because of the amount of land it takes to sustain and it’s high amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Reducing your meat consumption is one great way to reduce your ecological footprint. Try using vegetarian sausage for this recipe!
Why You Should Make This Bangers and Mash Recipe
- It’s adaptable. It’s in the name! Easy to make safe for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, and meat eaters.
- The gravy. That red wine gravy is lick-the-plate-worthy.
- The pillow-y mash. The fluffiest, creamiest, more decadent base for any protein.
- It’s fun! Nevermind the fact that it’s fun to say, it’s even more fun to eat!
For more complete dinner ideas, check out these Creamy Fish and Grits and Easiest Cheat Mushroom Stroganoff.
All Diet-Friendly Bangers and Mash
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Ingredients
Bangers & Gravy
- 1 large red onion
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 5 tablespoons gravy starter (I use Bisto Gravy Granules)
- 4 sausages of your choice (I use Field Roast Vegan Smoked Sausage)
Mash
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (nondairy for vegan)
- 3 tablespoons milk (nondairy for vegan)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
Instructions
Bangers and Gravy
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Slice your red onion and add to a medium-sized pot with 2 tablespoons butter. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes until it starts to soften.
- Add brown sugar and stir well until onions are completely coated. Simmer for another 10 minutes until onions are nicely caramelized in the sugar and butter.
- Add wine and water and bring to a boil. Allow to reduce for 5 minutes before adding your gravy starter. Simmer for a couple more minutes to thicken.
- Meanwhile, add your sausage and a dash of olive oil to a large frying pan oven medium heat, and brown on all sides.
- Once your sausage is brown and your gravy is thickened, transfer your sausage into a baking dish. Pour the gravy over the sausage and roast at 375 for 30 minutes.
Mash
- Boil 10 cups of water in a large pot with a pinch of salt and peel and cut your potatoes into 4 or 5 parts.
- Once your water is boiling, drop your potato pieces in and cook until you can easily pierce them with a fork (about 20-25 minutes).
- Strain your potatoes and add them to a large mixing bowl with butter, milk, and garlic salt.
- Use a hand mixer on high to whip your potatoes until they are smooth and without lumps. You may need to add a little bit more milk, depending on the size of your potatoes.
- Serve hot with gravy and sausage on top. Garnish with scallions for a fresh finish.
Pro Tips
- The softer the onions, the better. Take your time to really make sure they are nice and soft in steps 1 and 2.
- You can use any sausage for this dish. I use vegan sausage and my husband uses chicken sausage, but use your favorite!
- You can use any gravy starter for this recipe. I use Bisto Gravy Granules.
- If you have leftover mashed potatoes and want to breathe new life into them, check out this Twice Baked Mashed Potato Casserole from Leftover Mashed Potatoes.
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2 thoughts on “All Diet-Friendly Bangers and Mash”
This was literally SO delicious! I love cooking bangers & mash, but honestly I’ve never made such a good gravy before!! The sausages came out so tender and juicy and the flavor of the gravy is to die for. Thanks for a great recipe!
I am SO happy to hear that!!! The gravy is what it’s ALL about!