Sausage Rolls

Flaky, baked puff pastry stuffed with cheesy sausage and potato filling. These British-inspired Sausage Rolls are simple, yet deliciously perfect for breakfast or brunch.

Who doesn’t love a good stuffed puff pastry? There’s nothing easier than thawing and unrolling pre-made pastry dough and stuffing it with yummy fillings for a hand-held meal that the whole family will love! These sausage rolls are my take on the popular British sausage rolls. They may not be 100% authentic, but I promise they are 100% delicious!

Recipe Ingredients

• Puff Pastry Thawed – Any brand of puff pastry will work here. Make sure to read the directions on the box for thawing before you get to work on the sausage rolls.
• Ground Pork Sausage – Go ahead and purchase any ground pork sausage you like. I usually get Italian style but any flavor you love will work.
• Frozen Diced Potatoes – Make sure you thaw the potatoes before you add them to the sausage rolls. Any brand works in these, even store brand.
• Worcestershire Sauce – This tangy, salty sauce is key. Don’t skip it.
• Garlic Powder – Any brand garlic powder will do here.
• Onion Powder – Onion powder adds a lovely earthy flavor. Be sure not to skip this step either. Any brand is great!
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese – Purchase the cheese pre-shredded or shred your own. Any kind of cheddar from mild to sharp tastes delicious.
• Egg – You’ll mix one egg with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash to put over the top of the sausage rolls before baking them.

Step By Step Directions

1. First thing you should do before putting these British sausage rolls together is to preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Then, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. (not pictured)
2. Make sure your puff pastry is thawed according to the package directions or unroll and thaw on the counter in your kitchen (keep some parchment lining on the pastry to keep it from drying out) for 30 minutes. (not pictured)
3. While your puff pastry is thawing, cook the sausage and the potatoes. To cook them, first take out a large skillet and set it over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and potatoes and let them brown for about 5 minutes. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break up the sausage into crumbles as it cooks. (Sausage does not need to be fully cooked at this point, it will continue cooking in the oven in step 8.) (photo 1)
4. Now season the British sausage roll stuffing with Worcestershire, onion powder, and garlic powder, and give it a good stir over the heat for 1-2 minutes. (not pictured)
5. Turn your attention to the puff pastry. Cut the sheets in half down the center and spoon the mixture to create mounds of the sausage and potatoes down one side length of the puff pastry dough. keeping about 1 inch between scoops. (photos 2-3)
6. Add some shredded cheddar cheese to the top of each sausage and potato mound. (photo 4)
7. Fold the puff pastry over the mounds of filling and cheese and use a fork to crimp the long edge to seal the dough. Cut between each of the mounds. Place each sausage roll on your prepared baking sheet at least two inches apart. (photos 5-7)
8. Whisk together the egg and tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash over each sausage roll. (photo 7)
9. Put the sausage rolls in the oven to bake for 20 minutes or until the puff pastry is fully cooked and golden and the cheese is melty. Allow to cool slightly before serving warm. (photo 8)

Why This Recipe Works

Ground pork sausage – Purchase pre-seasoned ground pork sausage for these puff pastry sausage rolls. Sure, you can make your own, but why not make cooking dinner that much easier by using pre-made ground pork sausage?

Frozen puff pastry – Just like the pre-seasoned pork, the pre-made, frozen puff pastry just makes your work so much easier. I can’t even begin to think about how you’d go about making your own puff pastry, so I haven’t ever tried. I prefer to just thaw my pastry and go!

Quick and easy – These puff pastry sausage rolls are so quick (they only take 40 minutes, and that includes baking time!) and easy (pre-made ingredients for the win!) you’ll want to make them at least twice a week! My step-by-step tutorial in photos also helps make the process go more quickly because you can quickly see how easy it is to put these together, add egg wash, and bake.

Finger food – Okay, maybe technically these sausage rolls should be considered “hand” food and not finger food, but you get the idea. No utensils needed here. Just allow to cool a bit and pick up and eat. Kids love these for that reason (and adults do, too)!

What Are Sausage Rolls?

Puff pastry sausage rolls are like the precursors to Hot Pockets. Seasoned pork and potatoes are wrapped into a flaky pastry crust and wrapped into hand-size servings. They are baked all together but can be served hot or cold. They can be big or small, contain cheese or no cheese, and can come in other varieties with other ingredients in the filling.

Are Sausage Rolls Australian?

Sausage rolls are really popular in Australia and Canada as well because they are part of the United Kingdom’s commonwealth. Sausage rolls as they are eaten today actually originated in France around the 19^th century.

Then, as food tends to do, sausage rolls became popular in Britain as well because they were an easy and cheap street food to both serve by vendors and purchase by passersby. Sausage rolls really took off in Britain, eventually becoming linked to the country as one of their more popular snacks. Then their snacks were, of course taken with them as the population spread out into the other areas of the world over the years.

Is This Recipe Healthy?

Let’s face it, puff pastry contains some unhealthy fats as does pork sausage and cheese. However, before labeling things as “healthy” or “unhealthy,” let’s talk about moderation. Eating one or two sausage rolls once in a while is fine and I believe every food can be part of a healthy diet so long as you area also eating plenty of servings of fruits and vegetables too!

What Are Sausage Rolls Called In America?

If you’re making a true sausage roll, like this recipe indicates, then you’ll just call it a sausage roll. However, Americans also have made riffs on this popular snack, like with pigs in a blanket and corn dogs, which are similar to sausage rolls.

Expert Tips

• Not sure how to cut puff pastry? I’ve found that if you use a pizza cutter, it makes for the easiest, most perfect cuts. 
• I like to serve these warm, and they are just as delicious plain or with some ketchup or honey mustard for dipping. 
• These sausage rolls will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. The crust will get soggy in the fridge, so I find it’s best to warm them back up in the oven or toaster oven to get some of that crispiness back into the dough.

More Recipes You’ll Enjoy

For more amazing dishes using pre-made pastry dough or pie crust, check out my popular posts for Chicken and Mushroom Pie, Easy Beef Empanadas, and Cheesy Garlic Butter Crescents.

• Chicken and Sausage Pasta
• Sausage and Cabbage Skillet
• Sausage and Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
• Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

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