Friday, November 4, 2011

The best vegan spaghetti bolognese ever

Breakfast: Carrot juice and a vegan muffin

Lunch: An avocado and tomato sandwich on round bread

Dinner: The best vegan spaghetti bolognese ever




I remember first making this recipe back in my carnivore days at a friend's cottage on the lake. Back then I made it with ground beef, and it must have gone down quite well as when I found it in my recipe book I'd labelled it "BEST SPAG BOL EVER".

Yesterday I was in desperate need of some great pasta dish and decided to veganise this one. TVP replaced the beef and had a real meaty texture which is perfect for a comforting meal - and great for feeding meat eaters when they come over!

You'll need:
(Feeds 4)
1 cup TVP
1 1/2 carrots, grated
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 sticks celery
2 cups chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup veg stock
1 large glass red wine
tabasco sauce / hot sauce
1 heaped tbsp oregano
4 servings spaghetti
oil
black pepper
salt
Method:
Place the TVP in a bowl with just less than 1 cup water and leave for 5 minutes
Fry the onions and garlic in a little oil until they're translucent, then add celery
Season with black pepper
Add in the rehydrated TVP followed by the oregano and the wine
Allow the TVP to take up some of the wine, then add the tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and the tabasco / hot sauce
Add the carrots and veg stock and stir well
Simmer for 1 hour or cook on a higher heat for 10-20 minutes. It will taste better if you leave it longer, but if you're in a rush you won't lose out
Stir often
10 minutes before you plan to eat, place the spaghetti in boiling water with a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil
Heat on medium for 10 minutes, stirring well, and test if ready by throwing a piece of spaghetti at the wall. If it sticks, it's ready
Drain the spaghetti and dish out between the plates
Spoon the sauce on top and serve!

This is absolutely great for cold winter nights or after you've been skating / snowboarding / riding bike all day, as its full of carbs and very comforting. I will be adding it into regular rotation at our house now!

3 comments:

  1. I have just made this and you're right - it is the best bolognese EVER! great recipe and thanks for sharing! About to serve it up for a dinner party - couldn't help myself with the constant taste testing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I´m so glad you like it! I am the same with the taste testing, and I end up putting about twice as much red wine in as I should....but it still tastes great!! I hope the dinner party likes it :)

    Heather

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi
    Thanks for sharing. What can substitute the wine with?... and will that affect the taste.

    ReplyDelete