Bangers and Mash is an easy 30 minute meal the whole family will love! Creamy mashed potatoes topped with a savory onion gravy and bangers sausage.
Bangers and Mash Recipe
If you are looking for an easy, budget friendly weeknight meal this is the perfect recipe for you! This dish comes together in 30 minutes and you can even double the recipe to have leftovers for the week.
Mashed potatoes, sausage, onion gravy and an optional side of peas are all budget friendly and delicious! I love buying a big bag of potatoes in bulk and transforming then into different meals throughout the week. Buy sausage in bulk too to save even more.
What is Bangers and Mash?
Bangers and mash is classic British comfort food. It’s a name used for sausage and mashed potatoes. Bangers are served over thick creamy mashed potatoes with a savory onion gravy. The gravy finishes the dish adding texture and flavor to perfectly tie everything together.
Bangers and mash is quick and easy to make. It’s a budget friendly yet very substantial meal. It's sure to be a hit with the entire family!
What is in Bangers and Mash?
- Bangers Sausage - bangers style sausage are often smaller than regular pork sausage. If you cannot find banger style sausage you can use any mild pork sausage such as Bratwurst.
- For a gluten free bangers and mash recipe, use gluten free sausage.
- Onions - the star of the gravy is the caramelized onions. Slice them thin and cook them low and slow to get a beautiful caramelized color and flavor!
- Beef Broth - the broth has a deep dark color and flavor from beef broth.
- Butter and Flour - to thicken the gravy a roux is made with butter and flour.
- For a gluten free bangers and mash recipe, omit the butter and flour. Swap for a combination of 1 teaspoon of water mixed with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken the gravy.
- Cream - for the creamiest mashed potatoes a splash of cream is mixed in, you can swap for milk or half & half if you prefer.
- Red Wine Vinegar - the onion gravy for bangers and mash has a bit of tang from the addition of red wine vinegar. It is not overpowering and you do not taste the vinegar once it cooks out. It adds a subtle sweetness and tang to the sauce.
- Garlic - the onion gravy is packed with flavor from the onions and nothing pairs better with onions than garlic!
- Bay Leaf, Rosemary, Salt and Pepper - a hint of rosemary and Bay leaf is cooked into the gravy.
How to Make Bangers and Mash
Full Printable Recipe at Bottom of Page
Prepare the Mashed Potatoes
1 Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
2 Drain the potatoes in a strainer and set the strainer over the hot pot to evaporate the excess water. Put the potatoes back in the pot, and reduce the heat to low, then add 4 tablespoons of the butter and mash the potatoes until they are nearly smooth. Stir in the cream to create a creamy consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the Bangers and Caramelize Onions
1 In a large skillet or pan over medium heat, add the sausages and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side (cooking time will vary depending on size of sauce) . Remove from pan and set aside.
Prepare the Onion Gravy
1 Add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet or pan, if needed (there will be residual oil in the pan from cooking the sausage), and sauté the onions over medium heat until golden brown approximately 10-15 minutes.
2 Add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3 Add in the Bay leaf, rosemary, salt and pepper and sauté another minute.
4 Add the butter until melted and then add in the flour. Stir continuously and cook until the flour turns golden in color.
5 Slowly pour in the broth and vinegar, whisking continuously until the sauce starts to thicken.
6 Once thickened, add the cooked sausages back into the pan and simmer to heat through. The sauce will continue to thicken. If it becomes too thick, you can add a splash of broth at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve
Place a portion of mashed potatoes on a serving plate topped with the sausages. Pour the onion gravy over the sausage and mashed potatoes. Optional, serve with a side of peas. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Bangers and Mash?
While bangers and mash makes a filling meal all on its own, you can serve it with a fresh salad, adding color and nutrition for a full rounded meal.
- Kale Apple Salad - with a sweet and tangy honey Dijon vinaigrette. Tender kale tossed with fresh apples, raspberries, nuts and seeds for the ultimate fall salad!
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad - a quick 20 minute side dish or perfect meal prep lunch! Combining all your favorite Mediterranean flavors with a simple delicious Greek salad dressing.
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad - has everything from sweet, salty, crunchy, and tangy flavors. It is also so beautiful to serve! It’s the perfect salad or side dish for any meal.
FAQ Bangers and Mash
The name bangers comes from around the time of the first World War, when there were meat shortages causing sausage to be made with more filler than usual. This resulted in the sausages bursting and banging open while cooking.
Pork sausage is used for bangers and mash. You can often find 'banger style' sausage in grocery stores and they are made slightly smaller than a regular pork sausage. However, all sausage are considered bangers in England. Bangers is a slang name used for sausage that historically burst open while cooking.
Onion gravy is a simple sauce that tops the pile of sausage and mashed potatoes. There are many versions of this gravy but the most important part of this simple sauce is making sure your onions are a deep even brown color. Keep an eye on the onions while cooking and stir them often to make sure they cook and caramelize evenly.
You know when you eat in a restaurant and get those perfect, creamy, velvety mashed potatoes? Here’s how they make them. First, you want starchy potatoes (ex. russets). Then, after they are boiled until tender and drained, place the strainer over the hot pot to dry them out a little. For the smoothest results, use a food mill or ricer, but you can just mash the potatoes with a handheld masher to your desire consistency.
Looking for More 30 Minute Dinners?
- Chicken Wing Lollipops - a great finger food, but you can make them even more convenient, not to mention cute, by turning them into chicken wing lollipops.
- Chicken Marsala - an Italian-American dish of golden pan-fried chicken cutlets and mushrooms in a rich Creamy Marsala wine sauce. It is a flavorful chicken dinner with plenty of sauce to serve over your sides!
- Crispy Honey Garlic Beef - crispy strips of beef fried and tossed in a sweet and savory honey garlic sauce. This is a must try.
Enjoy!
- Sab
Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission.
Bangers and Mash
Ingredients
- 10 Bangers style sausage ( or other mild sausage, ex. Bratwurst)
Onion Gravy
- 1 teaspoon oil (if needed)
- 3 large onions (sliced into rings, yellow or white)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon rosemary (dried)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 cup beef broth
Mashed Potatoes
- 2 ½ pounds potatoes (russets, quartered)
- 4 tablespoon butter (at room temperature)
- ½ cup cream (or milk of choice, or as needed for desired consistency)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Accompaniments (Optional)
- Peas
Instructions
Prepare the Mashed Potatoes
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes in a strainer and set the strainer over the hot pot to evaporate the excess water. Put the potatoes back in the pot, and reduce the heat to low. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and mash the potatoes until they are nearly smooth. Stir in the cream to create a creamy consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the Sausage
- In a large skillet or pan over medium heat, add the sausages and cook until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side (cooking time will vary depending on size of sauce) . Remove from the pan and set aside.
Prepare the Onion Gravy
- Add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet or pan, if needed (there will be residual oil in the pan from cooking the sausage), and sauté onions over medium heat until golden brown approximately 10-15 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the Bay leaf, rosemary, salt and pepper and sauté another minute.
- Add the butter until melted and then add in the flour. Stir continuously and cook until the flour turns golden in color.
- Slowly pour in the broth and vinegar, whisking continuously until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Once thickened, add the cooked sausages back into the pan and simmer to heat through. The sauce will continue to thicken. If it becomes too thick, you can add a splash of broth at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve
- Place a portion of mashed potatoes on a serving plate topped with the sausages. Pour the onion gravy over the sausage and mashed potatoes. Optional, serve with a side of peas. Enjoy!
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