Meaty Vegan Bolognese
If you’re the type who loves (or used to love) meat for its rich flavour and texture, this is for you. That’s the thing: usually, when people switch over to plant-based foods, the foods they miss the most have strong flavours and textures. So the challenge is to reintroduce those elements to your plant-based cooking.
Ingredients
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 stick celery diced
- 1 medium carrot diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups dry soy mince (TVP)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari)
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 can chopped tomatoes or 2, if you prefer a more saucy bolognese
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp mixed herbs
- 1 tsp miso paste (optional)
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Directions
- Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in 1.5 cups freshly boiled hot water, and put a plate on top to keep the steam from escaping. Don't discard the soaking water!
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan or large skillet over medium heat, and add the onions. Cook for a few minutes until softened.
- Add the carrots, celery and garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft.
- Stir in the dry soy mince, then add the soy sauce and red wine, stirring to absorb.
- Add the can(s) of chopped tomatoes, and mix along with the sugar (to offset the acidity) and mixed herbs.
- In a small bowl, mix the miso paste with some of the vegetable stock, then add it into the rest of the vegetable stock.
- Now stir the vegetable stock into the bolognese mix, and add the soaking water from the shiitake mushrooms.
- Finely chop the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and mix them in.
- Add the smoked paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over pasta of your choice: spaghetti is the obvious option :)