I’ve teamed up with Morningstar and BlogHer to bring you this post.
Here is the dialogue that took place between my husband and I after I handed him a plate of this and he took his first bite:
Todd: “Very, very good. Better than most sausage gravies you find in restaurants.”
Me: “Really?”Todd: “This gravy just has so much more flavor, much richer than a lot of the restaurant versions.”Me: “Awesome. It’s vegetarian.”
Todd: [Pauses and looks up] “Really? Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed it.”
So there you have it. The verdict of my official recipe-tester.
So now the challenge is on you: Judge for yourself! Make this fabulous meatless dish and then come back and tell us what you think!
Wholesome eating has always played a central part of my life. I married a physician and we continue to emphasize a healthy lifestyle (with the occasional indulgences for sanity sake – that’s where my philosophy as a mental health counselor comes in). And especially now that we have children, eating healthy is a priority. Not just in terms of what we do eat, but what we don’t eat. And that includes meat. We’re not vegetarians, but we do limit our meat intake and regularly incorporate meatless meals in our diet.
I’ve tried a variety of brands that feature meatless options and what I’ve found all too often is that with many meatless products you end up sacrificing flavor and texture. That has not been my experience with MorningStar Farms. Not only do they have a “clean” ingredients list (which is super important to me) and come packed with protein, their products taste great! And they’re very versatile in the wide range of meals you can make with them.
With over 30 different products and over 600 recipes, MorningStar Farms offers more ways to eat smart. Their vegetarian products come in the form of patties and links, but no need to limit yourself to… patties and links. The sky’s the limit in terms of what you can create with them. You just need to think outside the box (or scroll through their vast collection of recipes).
To give you a few examples, I recently used their Spicy Black Bean Burger patties to make a quick, healthy, satisfying, meatless Southwestern salad. I cut the patties into strips like I would with chicken, grilled them in the toaster oven, and then served them on a bed of lettuce with kidney beans, corn, and a spicy creamy Southwestern dressing. Another way I like to incorporate them into a meatless meal is to make breakfast burritos. I dice up the Spicy Black Bean Burger patties, scramble some eggs, saute some bell peppers and onions with spices, fry up some hash browns, and then assemble all of the goodness into a burrito shell, top it off with some salsa and sour cream, and roll it on up! One product, so many ways to use it.
Or, have you tried their Mediterranean Chickpea Burger? Slice it into strips and fry it up with onions, garlic and Greek seasoning, pile it into some fresh pita or flatbread with shredded lettuce, red cabbage and red onions, top it off with fresh tzatiki sauce and – voila! – you’ve got yourself a healthy, tasty vegetarian gyros!
MorningStar Farms is constantly creating new products and flavors and has recently introduced include their Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burger, Buffalo Chik Patties, and Parmesan Garlic Wings.
Today I’m going to share a classic comfort dish that’s quick and easy to make and uses MorningStar Farms Original Veggie Sausage Patties.
Let’s get started!
Finely chop up the veggie sausages, onion, garlic, parsley, sage and thyme.
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions 8-10 minutes until golden and beginning to brown.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the veggie sausage and cook for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned.
Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, stir to incorporate, and cook for a minute.
Pour in the milk (and heavy cream, if using), stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
Stir until smooth and add the vegetable bouillon, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a simmer, stirring regularly, and cook until the sauce is thickened.
Add the parsley, sage and thyme and simmer for another minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately over freshly baked biscuits and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Enjoy!
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 (8 ounce) package Morningstar Farms Original Veggie Sausage Patties, thawed and finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2½ cups whole milk (for extra creaminess use 2 cups milk and ½ cup heavy cream)
- 1 cube vegetable bouillon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage (or ⅛ teaspoon dried ground sage)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves)
- 8 freshly baked biscuits, cut in half (click here for Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits recipe)
- Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions 8-10 minutes until golden and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the veggie sausage and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to incorporate, cooking for another minute.
- While stirring constantly to prevent lumps, pour in the milk and heavy cream. Stir until smooth. Add the vegetable bouillon, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and stir until thickened. Add the parsley, sage and thyme and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately over the biscuits. Garnish with some chopped fresh parsley.
Todd says
I LOVE this recipe!
I’m always looking for the best sausage gravy at restaurants. This beats them all.
I can’t thank you enough.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Todd, thank you so much!
Autumn says
Dang, this was good! Usually I have to quadruple the spices in recipes but this had great flavor as written! Will be a new favorite. 🙂 covered six biscuits with leftovers.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Autumn, thank you so much!
Lindsey says
We’ve made this so many times – it’s one of our favorites. Now we’ve started doubling the recipe to have leftovers – which may be even better the next day.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Lindsey, thank you so much!
Jen says
This was a very simple, easy to follow and flavorful recipe. Only modification I made was to the amount of butter/fat I used. By the time I added the sausage the butter was absorbed therefore I was concerned with the roux I was going to make before adding the milk. I added 1.5 tbsp more and a light drizzle of olive oil and it was perfect. Only other thing I would modify next time I make this is I would probably add more milk to thin it, it got quite thick and didnt dispurse well among the biscuits I made(I used a personal recipe for these). Dont get me wrong, the think gravy was DELISH, however it covered only 4 of the 8 biscuits I made, which just means I’ll have to eat them for breakfast with butter and jam, lol.
Kristen says
WOW! What a REALLY good recipe!!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Kristen! :)
Jane Watkins says
I walked off meat two months ago and so far have found great replacements for so many favorites. My husband loves biscuits and gravy so this gives me hope! Thanks for the good ideas.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
You’re welcome, Jane! These biscuits and gravy are so flavorful, even meat eaters will love them :)
Stephanie says
I just made this with homemade biscuits for my husband’s birthday breakfast and – WOW. I honestly cannot believe how great it tasted. I used Field Roast breakfast sausage and otherwise followed the recipe exactly. My husband literally licked his plate clean, and I wasn’t far behind him! This is the best gravy I’ve ever had, veggie or otherwise.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Stephanie, you’ve made my day – thank you! :) That sounds like the perfect birthday breakfast and I’m thrilled you and your husband enjoyed it so much!
Lynx says
Actual review here!
Made tonight – I cook “fancy” recipes periodically that take lots of ingredients and a long time..and I always say, “It’s good, but how can it be better? More spice, more citrus, veggies a little crispy?” This one? I tasted and verbatim: “Oh my god, this is really good.” Omnivorous husband said it was maybe the best biscuits and gravy he had ever had. Coming from Georgians, mind you. Definitely a win – great flavor.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful! And yes, that is especially flattering coming from Georgians :) I’m so glad this was a hit, Lynx, and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
P.S. I also have my carnivore version on my blog if you’re ever interested in trying that one. Best, Kimberly
Winnette Williams says
My family loves my vegetarian beef stew that I make using the Morningstar BBQ ribs. I remove the sauce from them chop them and sautee them before adding to my stew.
Anonymous says
Love the recipe, looks great – but just an FYI on Morningstar – They are owned by Kellogg which uses Monsanto seed for the majority of it’s products, so it is a GMO product and not a clean source.
Chanel says
I am a ‘vegetarian’ ( sometimes eats fish label it as you pleas) I’ve used many of Morning star products which have accompanied me to many BBQ events with family and friends. Any morning star can be chopped up and added to a salad or added to tacos. I think i want to try a casserole or quiche with the maple flavor sausage! ^_^
rachel says
I’d make a blt with the veggie bacon strips.
sandra says
I want to try the Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burger
couponboss says
I’d crumble up the black bean burgers and use them in tacos.
Rebecca W says
I would make some of their buffalo products because our family lives spicy food!