A quick and easy meat-free alternative to the British picnic classic, these vegetarian scotch eggs are ready in under 30 minutes thanks to a whole lot of corner cutting.
Yup, instead of using the traditional sausage meat, i’ve opted for a tasty falafel style wrapping for the eggs. And as I wanted things to be swift, I grabbed a couple of packets of falafel mix off the shelf at the supermarket. Lazy? You betcha.
It was all a bit of an experiment to be honest after a spot of daydreaming about how I could make sausageless scotch eggs, but lucky for me it turned out really well first time.
I was going to oven bake them, but in a fit of indulgence decided to deep fry. They crisped up a treat, and after a spell on some kitchen paper they didn’t taste greasy at all. Frying stuff in a big pan is really good fun. It’s made me want to make doughnuts.
My scotch eggs were a bit on the humongous side, so i’d definitely serve them sliced in half, or you could get six out of the recipe if you put less falafel mix on each one. I’m not very good at doing things delicately, and as i’m tasked with feeding large appetites here it’s just as well!
I’m definitely going to make them again for any picnics we go on, should the wind drop and the weather be warm enough to brave sitting on a rug outdoors that is. Failing that Matthew will love them for his work packed lunches!
Vegetarian Scotch Eggs
Makes: 4-5
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Ingredients
5 medium eggs
2 x 120g packets of falafel mix
plain flour for dusting
50g breadcrumbs – panko work well
vegetable oil for deep frying
Method
1. Boil the eggs for 5 minutes, then remove to a bowl of cold water and allow to cool before peeling off the shells.
2. Make up the falafel mix with cold water according to the instructions and allow to stand for at least 5 minutes.
3. Spoon some flour onto a small plate and spread it out. Scatter the breadcrumbs across another larger plate.
4. Roll each boiled egg in the flour, then get a handful of falafel mix and flatten it onto the palm of your had. Place a floured egg in the middle and then press it on and around. You may need a little more mixture to completely cover it. Roll it into a ball and then roll it around in the breadcrumbs until totally covered. Pop onto a board and repeat with the remaining eggs.
5. Half fill a saucepan with vegetable oil and place on the heat. You can test if it’s hot enough by dropping a bit of bread in and if it turns golden within 30 seconds you’re ready to cook your scotch eggs. Cook two at a time for around 1-2 minutes, until the outside is crisp and golden. Lift out and drain on kitchen paper.
6. Serve with a picnic spread, salad leaves and a pot of your favourite chutney – we love mango!
I’m hooking this recipe up with some fine blogging events…
Credit Crunch Munch from Fab Food 4 All and Fuss Free Flavours, hosted this month by From Plate To Pen
Meat Free Mondays with Jac from Tinned Tomatoes – a great place for some veggie inspiration
I love that you have used falafel to make these – that is actually genius.
I miss scotch eggs since being a vegetarian, so I have to give these a try!
Heheh thanks Dannii, I hope you like them as much as we did! I need to make a new batch…
What a brilliant idea, Katie!! Thanks for entering #creditcrunchmunch
Thanks Sarah… it felt like a good thrifty recipe!
Falafel wrapped veggie Scotch eggs! Genius idea. Finally I can have a veggie Scotch egg 🙂
I think they’re even more tasty than the meat version… especially with mango chutney!
Wow they look so good! My favourite party food when I was little was scotch eggs. They’d be perfect for picnics, hopefully the weather will pick up again soon!
Ami x
http://www.cranberryandapricot.com
Thanks Ami – party food is the best isn’t it!
What a clever idea to use the falafel mix! Love these.
Thanks Helen, it worked out really well!
These look fantastic! Such a brilliant idea to use the falafel mix instead of sausage. I need to try these!
Thanks Becca, it’s such a simple switch to make them veggie.
These look so good Katie! I’ve made scotch eggs before but am loving the idea of using falafel mix. Scotch eggs are very popular in our house so I’ll definitely be giving these a go.
Thanks Sian, let me know how you get on!
Awesome, brilliant idea. The sort of why did I not think abut that idea.
heheh thanks Bintu x
Great inspiration for vegetarian alternative! Do you think quail eggs will be OK as well? Thought it could be better option for the little fingers of my little ones.
Ah yes that’s a great idea for miniature ones Kate!
How ingenius of you to come up with this idea. I think I would adore these, and I may have to make these my picnic staple for this year!
Thanks Laura… yes I feel they’re going to become a regular occurrence for this summer’s picnics…
I have pinned this recipe! Having chickens we often have an abundance of eggs. These veggie Scotch eggs look so good x #creditcrunchmunch
I love the sound of these Katie, so easy and I bet they were certainly tasty. We’re having family to visit this weekend and were planning on a picnic but the disappointingly cold weather has forced us to change our plans (we’ll picnic inside instead)! This may well feature on the picnic rug,
Angela x
Thanks Angela… um it’s not really picnic weather yet is it!!!!
I love the sound of these vegetarian scotch eggs, I’m sure my daughter would love them in particular as she keeps telling me how bad meat is for you! Thanks for a fab entry to #CreditCrunchMunch;-)
My sister is a veggie and loved scotch eggs! I will definitely be making these for her she’d LOVE them!!!