The walnuts add texture, I use shiitake mushrooms as they have a more 'umami' meaty flavour.
You could add kidney beans and spices to make a chili, eat it in tacos, or you could use it to make a vegan lasagne.
Mushroom and Walnut Bolognese
Plant-Based Proteins
A hearty vegan bolognese, substituting mince with mushroom and walnuts, full of flavour and texture.
Ingredients List for people
Units:
- 400 g spaghetti You could also use wholewheat or spelt spaghetti, or gluten-free
- 3 pieces cloves
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 pieces bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tsp basil (dried)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cube vegetable stock cubes
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 125 g walnuts (finely chopped)
- 125 g mushrooms (shiitake or porcini preferably)
- 1 chopped tomatoes 400g can
Instructions
- Roast walnuts on a baking paper the oven for 8-10 minutes (200 C / 390 F).
- Finely chop the onion, garlic, walnuts and mushrooms - I used a food processor to get the pieces really small for a mince-like texture.
- 'Fry' mushrooms, garlic and onions - either dry fry in a nonstick pan or in a tiny amount of water/stock.
- Add tinned tomatoes (or you could use fresh tomatoes), walnuts and tomato puree.
- Add black pepper, salt, basil, oregano, balsamic vinegar, cloves, bay leaf and vegetable stock cube (chili flakes optional).
- Simmer for 40 mins - 1 hour on a low heat (or you can use a slow cooker).
- Cook spaghetti and serve with the bolognese!
View comments3 Comment(s)
I made this last night for my husband and I and was puzzled by the list of ingredients, for example the 1 tsp (dried). Of what? It becomes apparent in the instructions that it must be basil. The instructions also say to add tinned tomatoes, or fresh tomatoes, but the ingredients don't say how big the tin or how many tomatoes. I did 1 to 4 as written, then added a 28 oz can of tomatoes and most of a cup of water.. It was still a really thick sauce. Tasty but quite time-consuming. I'm in a wheelchair so my husband has to help. But there's enough left for another meal.
Hi Diane - thanks for the feedback, and sorry for the error in the recipe, this has now been corrected
This was lovely; full of flavour, and my non-vegan husband scraped his bowl clean. Definitely will become a staple dish; thanks for posting the recipe.
