Sausage salad is one of the best meals to prepare for a sizzling summer. It’s my summertime take on a comfort food classic – sausage and mash. There are plenty of flavours and textures to keep everyone interested and the zesty lime & herb dressing makes this salad sing. It’s quick and easy to put together, makes a tasty family meal but is also impressive enough for entertaining.
Sausage Salad
This sausage salad really came together from a fridge clear-out. I wouldn’t quite say everything was ready for the compost bin, but it could have been if I’d left it much longer. Yesterday, I made half the amount specified in the recipe below. There was plenty there to make a satisfying evening meal for the two of us. If you’re looking for something a bit heartier, however, serve it with either crusty bread or warmed pitta breads.
The key to this dish is that there’s something for everyone: hearty sausages, creamy potatoes, crunchy green vegetables, beany umami flavours and a zesty dressing. Use whatever sausages you like. I used some veggie ones. The recipe is vegan-friendly apart from the potato salad dressing. This can very easily be substituted for a vegan dressing of choice if needed.
Despite the seeming complexity of this dish, it’s actually quite quick to put together. Even if you make your own bean dip, you should be able to get dinner on the table in not much more than thirty minutes. There are several processes involved, but the lettuce and green herb dressing, for instance, can be prepared whilst the potatoes cook.
You can cook both the asparagus and sausages on a griddle or under a grill. Neither of these methods takes very long. Have a look at my simple griddled asparagus recipe to see how. Whilst they’re cooking, prepare the avocado and start to assemble the sausage salad.
To Pickle Or Not To Pickle?
For a bit of extra pizazz, if any is needed, I wanted to add some of my spiced pickled beetroot. But in the end the thought of the distasteful grimace on CT’s face when he saw it put me off. Why he doesn’t like beetroot, I will never fathom.
If I’d had any of my carrot pickles, I would have added them. Having said that, the limy green herb dressing is sharp enough to offset both the creaminess of the potatoes and avocado and the richness of the sausages. Let me know what you think if you try this sausage salad recipe.
Bean Dip
I actually made an aduki bean miso dip especially for this sausage salad. I’d planned on making a white bean miso spread, but found when I looked in the cupboard that I only had a tin of aduki beans. When I thought about it, I was quite pleased with this substitution. Aduki are commonly used in Japan so I reckoned it would better complement the miso and tamari I was planning on using.
If you don’t like this one, use whatever bean dip does it for you. Hummus is always a good choice.
Green Herb Dressing
The carrot top pistou I made a few weeks ago, provided me with inspiration for the green herb dressing. I used a small handful of herbs from the garden. This was mostly basil, but with a little marjoram, parsley & mint for extra flavour. Proportionally, I added more olive oil, lime juice & zest. The result was sensational and almost the highlight of the entire sausage salad.
It’s ever so easy to make my green herb dressing, as long as you have some sort of blender available. You could, of course, pound the ingredients together with a pestle and mortar, but I’ve never tried it. I expect it’s rather a pain. Although a Froothie blender creates a super smooth sauce, it’s not so great for small amounts. For this dressing, I used a mini food processor, which has the added bonus of being very easy to clean.
Other Recipes for Summer Salads You Might Like
- Best chickpea salad (vegan)
- Caprese salad bowl
- Griddled nectarine salad
- Quinoa, watercress, walnut & asparagus salad
- Sicilian pasta salad (vegan)
- Vegetarian salad Niçoise
In fact I have a specific recipe collection post on this: all the summer salad recipes you will ever need.
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make my sausage salad, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?
If you’d like even more salad recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Sausage Salad. PIN IT.
Summer Sausage Salad – The Recipe
Summer Sausage Salad
Ingredients
Sausage Salad
- 4 medium potatoes scrubbed but not peeled
- 8 asparagus spears
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 6 sausages of your choice (I used veggie ones)
- 10 large cos type lettuce leaves
- 1 avocado
- 200 g bean dip homemade or shop bought (I made an aduki bean miso dip but hummus is always a good choice.)
Sour Cream & Chive Dressing
- 1 ½ tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 handful chives
Green Herb Dressing
- 1 handful fresh soft green herbs (I used mostly basil with a couple of sprigs each of marjoram, parsley & mint)
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ lime zest and juice
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
Sausage Salad
- Cut the potatoes into eighths, then cook in salted water until tender, but not mushy – about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, make the sour cream & chive dressing. Add the cooled potatoes and mix until the potatoes are all covered.
- Whilst the potatoes are cooling down, coat the asparagus in the olive oil and grill or griddle them on a hot setting for about 7-8 minutes turning them half way through. Cut into halves or thirds.
- Likewise grill or griddle your sausages as per pack instructions. Cut into thirds or quarters.
- Peel and stone the avocado and slice.
- Tear the lettuce leaves up and spread them over a large serving platter. Dollop spoons of potato salad over the top. Place the sausages at strategic points on the plate, followed by the avocado slices and spoonfuls of bean dip.
- Scatter the asparagus over the top and then drizzle on the green herb dressing.
Sour Cream & Chive Dressing
- Snip the chives into a bowl. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream and black pepper then stir until everything’s combined.
Green Herb Dressing
- Whiz all the ingredients together in a small food processor or blender until you have your desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing my summer bangers & mash with Gluterama for #CookBlogShare.
Janice says
I love a hearty salad and it doesn’t get much more hearty than a sausage salad.
Choclette says
Hahaha, no indeed. Mind you, with the weather we’ve been having recently, I might opt for a plate of sausage and mash.
Balvinder says
This sounds like a lovely salad for any cookout or tailgating party.
Choclette says
I just had to look up tailgating party. I had no idea what they were, but they sound fun.
Donna says
Oh this is amazing! I love sausage so much, and in a salad!! #CookBlogShare
Choclette says
Sausages aren’t just for winter I reckon. They work really well in this salad.
Kate says
Such a lovely hearty summery salad! Thanks for linking to my Broccoli Salad.
Choclette says
I do like a hearty salad that makes me feel like I’ve actually had a meal.
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a sausage salad before and I think it’s a great idea! It looks so tastier and as you said is a lighter meal for the summer.
Choclette says
I reckon this is probably the first sausage salad I’ve ever seen too Cat 😀
Nayna Kanabar says
What a lovely salad, perfect to eat whilst the weather is hot .I love the idea of adding the vegetarian sausages makes the salad more filling.
Choclette says
Exactly Nayna. It’s a meal on a plate and a delicious one at that 🙂
johanna @ green gourmet giraffe says
This sounds great! We often have potato salad with sausages so I can see them going together very well – and it sounds like a meal in a salad which I also love.
Choclette says
Nothing but a hearty salad would work for CT and if truth be told, they generally work better for me too 😀
Rebecca - Glutarama says
Good heavens this is a salad fit for kings, it’s utterly packed full with delicious ingredients….and everything that I love. Thank you for linking with #CookBlogShare
Choclette says
Thanks Rebecca. It’s a good one for sure and will hopefully appeal to more than just kings 😉
Jenny Walters says
Oh! Oh! Oh! This is my sort of salad! Everything you need on one plate packed full of flavours that compliment each other. Delicious! Pinned x
Choclette says
Thanks Jenny. It’s amazing what you can achieve by just blobbing a few things on a plate 😀
angiesrecipes says
What a scrumptious salad! That bean dip looks very inviting too, Choclette.
Choclette says
The bean dip is delicious. I’m not sure why I’ve never thought to add miso to this sort of thing before.
Sylvie says
Such a fun recipe to make in the summer, I can definitely see it on the table at my next BBQ party! Thanks for including my Soba Noodle recipe too 🙂
Choclette says
My pleasure Sylvie. Cooking the sausages on the BBQ for this salad would make it even more fun.
Mandy says
Finally a salad recipe that my kids can get on board with! Thanks for including a link to my celeriac salad.
Choclette says
Oh yay, this salad is for the whole family. Who doesn’t love sausages and potatoes?