‘MEATY’ VEGAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE

There is actually NO meat in this “MEATY” VEGAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE. But, everyone will be fooled.

[Insert evil laugh here.]

There are a lot of vegan ground beef substitutes out there, and you can probably use those for this recipe. But, the nutritional goodness that this combination of mushrooms + tofu + walnuts + lentils brings is unquestionable and just plain amazing!

You can also use fresh tomatoes for the sauce or use good quality store bought diced tomatoes. Either way, it will come out amazing. Depends on how much prep time you have available. I had delicious locally grown roma tomatoes, so I peeled and diced those for my sauce.

The texture comes out quite similar to that of ground beef, and packs quite a lot of protein but without all that cholesterol and fat. Win! Use this sauce for your lasagnas, over pasta, for stuffing baked bell peppers, etc.

It is so good, you’ll want to use it on everything!

Let’s get cooking!!!

’MEATY’ VEGAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• 8oz block of extra firm tofu

• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

• 18oz mushrooms

• 1 15oz can brown lentils, drained

• 1 yellow onion, chopped

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp dried basil

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce

• 1/2 Cup tomato paste

• 1 1/2 Cups crushed, peeled tomatoes

• 1/2 Cup tomato sauce

• 1 Tbsp coconut sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Paprika (optional), for color

HOW TO MAKE IT:

1. Mash the tofu with a fork and add to a mixing bowl.

2. Place the walnuts in a food processor and process until finely chopped and then add to the mixing bowl with the tofu.

3. Add the mushrooms to the food processor and process until finely chopped and add to the mixing bowl.

4. Add the drained lentils to the mixing bowl.

5. Mix the tofu, walnuts, mushrooms and lentils together until well combined.

6. Add the chopped onion, garlic and olive oil to a frying pan and sauté until the onions are softened.

7. Then add in your tofu/walnut/mushroom/lentil mix along with dried basil, oregano, cayenne pepper and soy sauce and stir fry for a couple of minutes letting the bolognese cook off some of the water, so it’s not too wet.

8. Then add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and crushed tomatoes and keep cooking for a few minutes until you reach a good consistency.

9. Stir in the coconut sugar and add salt and pepper to taste.

10. At this point, you can add a bit of paprika if you want to add s bit more color to the sauce. Once all ingredients are well incorporate, serve.

11. Enjoy!

Let me know if you make this! Tag me by using @mindfulgrub or the hashtag #mindfulgrub when you share your creations on social media. I‘d love to hear how it went for you!

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