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Soy-free & protein-rich vegan Bolognese sauce for pasta
This vegan Bolognese sauce is soy-free and rich in protein with a taste very similar to the real thing! Perfect for a meatless dinner!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 pound mushrooms (Portobellos are ideal)
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry wine (white, rose or red)
- 3 cups (or 2 cans) pureed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped raisins or dried plums
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice.
- Salt and freshly grated pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon tahini, optional
- 1 cup chopped or processed walnuts
- 1 full cup cooked brown lentils
Instructions
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Roughly chop the mushrooms, carrot and eggplant and transfer them in batches in a food processor. Process until finely chopped but not mushy. You can also finely chop them by hand or grate them through the coarse side of a grater.
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Heat a large pot over high heat, add the olive oil and the chopped vegetables and cook until all the juices evaporate, stirring frequently. Then cook some more, stirring constantly, until well browned, caramelized and fragrant.
Add the onion, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cumin, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Add the garlic and cook for another one minute.
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Add the wine, pureed tomatoes, raisins (or plums) and tahini, let it come to a boil, reduce heat and let it simmer until reduced and thickened, about 20 minutes.
Add the walnuts and lentils and cook for 20 more minutes (add a splash of water during cooking, if needed).
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Serve over pasta. Eat!
Recipe Notes
For one full cup of cooked lentils, you'll need about half a cup dried lentils. Boil them while preparing the vegetables to save time.
For serving, I like to mix some sauce with the pasta, and then top with some extra.