When I lived at home, all my dad had to do to get me into the kitchen was sauté up some peppers and onions. There’s something about that savory smell that just gets me every time. Pair some delicious (and beautiful) peppers and onions with veggie sausage, slap it on some awesome bread, and I’m pretty much in heaven.

You might recall that we made vegan sausage once before. This time, instead of doing a hybrid recipe, we stuck with Isa’s Italian sausage recipe, which combines white beans and vital wheat gluten. Of course we tweaked it a bit, but I think this might become a go-to recipe. It’s super easy, pretty quick (with most of the time being hands-off), and very delicious. Here goes!

For the Sausages

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cooked small white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon olive oil (we used an Italian herb-infused oil)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• Several dashes fresh black pepper

No steamer? No problem. Place a large pot of water on the stove and insert a large collander. Cover with a lid. If the lid doesn’t cover it entirely, place a dishtowel on the top (but keep away from your flames/hot stovetop).

Method:

1. Set up your steamer, bringing water to a full boil. Set aside four sheets of tin foil.
2. In a large bowl, thoroughly mash the beans. Then add the broth, olive oil, soy sauce, vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, garlic, spices, and mix with a fork until incorporated.
3. Divide dough into four equal parts. Place one part of dough into tin foil and mold into about a 5 inch log. Roll it in tin foil and twist the ends. Don’t worry about the shape, because they will magically transform into perfect sausages while steaming.
4. Place wrapped sausages in steamer and steam for 40 minutes. Unwrap and enjoy immediately or refrigerate or free until ready to use.

This sausage recipe is pretty forgiving. We actually were short 1/4 cup of vital wheat gluten, so I just reduced the other ingredients (minus the spices) by just a bit to keep the ratios even. It still worked like a charm.

For the Peppers and Onions:

While the sausages are steaming, sauté two peppers and one onion over medium heat. We chose a green bell pepper, sweet orange pepper, and red onion. You can season as you like – we used basil and oregano. I might have thrown in some more garlic, too. (It happens.)

Cut up sausage into inch-thick circles and add your to the pan. Cook until they become crispy.

Toast up some soft sub/hoagie/grinder/hero rolls and assemble.

Enjoy!