Bangers in Mash — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Bangers in Mash

Bangers in Mash is the kind of meal we genuinely get excited about on a cold weeknight. It's proper comfort food; creamy mashed potato loaded with a rich, savory bolognese made from plant-based sausages, and it tastes like something your nan would make if your nan was really into vegan cooking. The sausages mash down into this brilliant mince-like texture that soaks up all the tomato and veg, and the baked potato base makes the whole thing feel hearty and satisfying without being heavy. Honestly, once you've had it this way, you won't miss the meat version at all. Make this tonight. It's the hug in a bowl you didn't know you needed.

Cook: 70 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Large baking tray
  • Potato masker
  • Microwave

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp Italian herbs
  • 1 pack of plant-based sausages - mushed
  • 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 celery stick
  • 1 carrot
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 tsp plant-based butter
  • 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • 4 jacket potatoes
  • plant-based cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • splash of plant-based milk

Method

1

Bake the potatoes

  • Pierce your jacket potatoes and add them to a baking tray. Pop them in the oven for 40 minutes or until they're soft
2

Make the bolognese

  • Place your veggie sausages in a bowl and microwave for two minutes or until soft
  • Take a fork and mash up the sausages so they are a mince like consistency and set to one side
  • Add the oil to a pan on a medium/high heat and add the onions, celery and carrots. Let these cook down until they soften
  • Add the garlic and salt and mix through, followed by the plant-based sausage mix
  • Once this has cooked off for a couple minutes add the Italian herbs, tomato puree, pepper, sugar and soy sauce and mix together before adding the chopped tomatoes. Stir these through and set to one side
3

Prepare the mash

  • Take your jacket potatoes out of the oven and slice off the top, scoop out the potato in the middle and add this to a separate bowl (where we will make the mashed potato)
  • In the bowl with the potatoes add the plant-based butter, salt, pepper and whole grain mustard
  • Mash and mix together with a potato masher and add a splash of plant-based milk to make the texture slightly creamy
4

Build the potatoes

  • Fill the hollowed out potato with bolognese, then add a small layer of plant-based cheese and finally a dollop of mashed potato
  • Put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes
  • Add plant-based cheese, fresh basil and chilli flakes to garnish and enjoy!

Tips & Variations

  • Sausage swap: We love this with any good plant-based banger, but if you've got leftover lentils or cooked green lentils knocking about, they work brilliantly in place of sausages and add an extra bit of texture.
  • Make it saucier: If you like things a bit more saucy, just add a splash more passata or a tin of chopped tomatoes when you're cooking down the bolognese. It's pretty forgiving so don't be shy.
  • Crispy skin tip: Henry always rubs the potatoes with a tiny bit of oil and salt before they go in the oven. It makes the skin go properly crispy and honestly it's worth the extra ten seconds of effort.

Why This Works

The trick here is mashing up the sausages before cooking them down. It gives you that proper mince texture without any faff, and they absorb all the flavours from the onion, celery and carrot as everything cooks together. Baking the potatoes instead of boiling them keeps everything nice and fluffy inside with that slightly crispy skin, which is a brilliant contrast to the saucy bolognese on top. Trust us on this one; it's a game changer.