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This beefless Bolognese sauce is worth trying. The soy crumbles absorbs the flavor of the spices, herbs and vegetables. It’s light but it has a meaty texture.

Beefless Bolognese Sauce [Vegan]

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Ingredients

For the Bolognese "Meat:"

  • 2 cups hydrated soya or TVP
  • A big bunch of fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped
  • Steak spice, a generous dash
  • 1 teaspoon powdered paprika
  • Tamari sauce, a generous dash

For the Tomato Sauce:

  • 3 celery sticks with leaves, chopped
  • 1 cooking onion, chopped
  • 2-3 garlic buds, chopped
  • 1 cup pure tomato purée (no sugar; no salt added)
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • The TVP mixture (from above)
  • 1 cup vegetable stock, preferably homemade, add more stock if need be.
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • Add a few shakes of dry Italian herbs
  • Pink salt & ground pepper, to taste
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Preparation

For the Bolognese:

  1.  To hydrate the dry soy crumbles (TVP), put 1 1/2 cups dry soy crumbles in a small bowl and stir in 3/4 cup of boiled water or bouillon.
  2. Fluff with a fork. This will make 2 full cups of hydrated TVP. (Larger chunks may require more water or a 1:1 ratio)
  3. In heated pan with olive oil, sauté the hydrated TVP with the parsley, steak spice, paprika and tamari sauce. Sauté for 8-10 minutes. When done, transfer the soya mixture to a separate bowl and set aside.

For the Tomato Sauce:

  1. In deep narrow pot, heat the olive oil.
  2. Add and sauté for 5 minutes the celery, onion, garlic.
  3. Add the tomato purée and white wine and simmer with lid half on for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, process ingredients directly in the pot with a handheld blender.
  4. After, add the TVP/soy crumble mixture, vegetable stock, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, Italian herbs, salt and pepper.
  5. Simmer on low with lid half on for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Remove from heat, cover and let the sauce settle for a while. Serve with pasta topped with grated vegan parmesan cheese. Store left over sauce in a covered container in fridge.
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