Meatless Biscuits and Gravy

Biscuits and Gravy | Photo by HealthyandLazy

I’m channeling my inner Paula Deen today and whipping up an authentic southern-style breakfast.

In my pre-vegetarian days, biscuits and gravy was my favorite Saturday-morning breakfast.  It wasn’t something we made at home, though – more of a road-trip-stop-at-Cracker-Barrel kind of thing.  For those of you north of the Carolinas, I’ll let you in on the secret.

Biscuits and gravy is the ugly duckling of breakfast foods.  Regardless of where you order it, it’s pretty much served the same way – a few simple biscuits and a hefty scoop of slop gravy dumped on top.  It isn’t a pretty dish and, unless you add food coloring, it’s pretty much just several different shades of brown.

BUT, it’s delicious, and unlike anything else on your typical breakfast menu.  This recipe is extraordinarily simple and I’ve used vegetarian sausage (Gimme’ Lean brand, again), but if you prefer the real thing, the recipe works just as well with true sausage.

This recipe is so easy it’s almost funny.

This recipe makes enough for two (3 biscuits and a big scoop of gravy per person).

Here’s what you need:

(for the biscuits)

• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup milk
• A few shakes of salt
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

(for the gravy)

• 1/2 pound ground vegetarian sausage
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup milk
• A few shakes of salt
• A few shakes of pepper

(cooking stuff)

• mixing bowl
• cookie sheet
• large pan

Here’s what to do:

Dough ready to bake | Photo by HealthyandLazy

Step 1) To make the biscuits, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together and then add in the melted butter and milk.  Stir and it will magically turn into a dough.  Scoop the dough into 6 small blobs on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees.

Step 2)  While the biscuits are baking, place a half pound of ground vegetarian sausage into a pan and begin to cook.  When the sausage has browned to your liking, add in 2 tablespoons of butter and stir.

Step 3) Sprinkle half of your flour onto the sausage and immediately add in half of your milk.  Stir.  Then, add in the rest of your flour and the rest of your milk.  Stir.

Biscuits fresh from the oven | Photo by HealthyandLazy

Step 4)  Don’t panic if your gravy looks really soupy, just keep stirring.  After a few minutes, it will begin to thicken up.  I usually let the gravy simmer, with an occasional stir, until my biscuits are done.

Step 5) Place a few biscuits on a plate and top with gravy.

Step 6) Eat.