Nothing brings the family together like a plate of hot sausage rolls. 

Recipe and words: Michael Van de Elzen

This is a real crowd-pleaser. From kids’ parties through to Sunday night dinner watching Country Calendar (a family favourite in the Van de Elzen house), these sausage rolls are a winner.

I add grated courgettes; my way of including vegetables. While my kids have figured out all my tricks, it’s still a great way of getting extra nutrition into foods that kids love and recognise.

Makes: 3 long rolls
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small brown onion, peeled and finely sliced
500g chicken mince
1 courgette, grated and squeezed to remove
as much water as you can
2 tsp smoked sea salt
½ cup breadcrumbs
3 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp each poppy, sesame, and flax seeds

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

Heat the oil in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and sauté until caramelised. In a large bowl, combine onion with chicken, courgette, salt, and breadcrumbs.

Mix well and divide mince into three portions. Lay out pastry sheets and spread a third of the chicken mix across the centre of each. Fold sheets in half away from you, then roll over again so there’s a double layer of pastry at the base of each sausage roll.

Use the egg to glue the seams of each roll. Brush the top with egg too, then sprinkle each roll with a different seed. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve with the butterbean hummus.

MICHAEL’S TIP

There’s a trick to this recipe, especially if you’re using courgettes from your garden. Homegrown courgettes are always bursting full of juice, but it makes the pastry soggy. Grate the courgettes onto an old tea towel.

Gather up the edges and twist until it’s a tight ball, so the courgette releases as much water as possible. This retains the nutrients and flavour, but stops the water from coming out during cooking.

Love this story? Subscribe now!