Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce
Fancy some spaghetti bolognese, all without meat? Here is a recipe for Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce made with seitan. Seitan is a food of the Asian cuisine based on gluten. Perfect for replacing meat in a sauce dish, such as Bolognese sauce.
Seitan, a vegetarian meat alternative rich in proteins
Seitan comes from the Asian cuisine and was invented more than 1000 years ago by Buddhist monks. It is a made with water and flour and composed almost essentially of gluten.
Its taste is relatively neutral. You can found it in various forms, including vacuum packed and in jars. It can be kept in a jar for several months. I personally always have some in stock, so I can make quick vegetarian recipes at the last minute!
Seitan is an ideal alternative to meat because it is rich in protein. Its texture is more spongy than tofu and is therefore perfect for dishes in sauce.
Recipe for Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese
For 4 servings you need the following ingredients.
Ingredients
To put on your grocery list:
- 400 g of spaghetti, tagliatelle or other type of pasta
- 700 g canned tomatoes (unseasoned)
- 400 g seitan
- 10 cl of red wine
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme, rosemary or oregano
- 200 g cherry tomatoes (optional)
- Parmesan cheese
IIn your kitchen :
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of sugar (optional)
Preparation
Chop the onion and garlic cloves. Drain the seitan and chop it finely with a knife.
Cook the pasta as directed on the package. Reserve about 10 cl of pasta water, taken from the end of cooking.
Heat a dash of olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion. Sauté for 2 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and chopped seitan. Let the seitan cook for 2 minutes without stirring, so that it colors slightly.
Pour in the red wine and deglaze to remove any remaining seitan from the pan. Then add the tomatoes and the thyme. Add salt and pepper. If your sauce tastes too sour, add a teaspoon of sugar.
Simmer for 10 to 30 minutes on low heat. The longer you simmer, the more concentrated the sauce will be.
10 minutes before serving, add the halved cherry tomatoes to the tomato sauce. Pour the pasta water into the sauce as well, so the starch in the pasta will help the sauce stick to the pasta.
Serve the Bolognese sauce on your pasta and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
Note
This vegetarian bolognese sauce is almost even better the next day! Feel free to make a little extra for the next few days or even freeze some.
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Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce
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Ingredients
To put on your grocery list
- 400 g of spaghetti tagliatelle or other type of pasta
- 700 g canned tomatoes unseasoned
- 400 g seitan
- 10 cl of red wine
- 1 onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme rosemary or oregano
- 200 g cherry tomatoes optional
- Parmesan cheese
In your kitchen
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of sugar optional
Instructions
- Chop the onion and garlic cloves. Drain the seitan and chop it finely with a knife.
- Cook the pasta as directed on the package. Reserve about 10 cl of pasta water, taken from the end of cooking.
- Heat a dash of olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion. Sauté for 2 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the garlic and chopped seitan. Let the seitan cook for 2 minutes without stirring, so that it colors slightly.
- Pour in the red wine and deglaze to remove any remaining seitan from the pan. Then add the tomatoes and the thyme. Add salt and pepper. If your sauce tastes too sour, add a teaspoon of sugar.
- Simmer for 10 to 30 minutes on low heat. The longer you simmer, the more concentrated the sauce will be.
- 10 minutes before serving, add the halved cherry tomatoes to the tomato sauce. Pour the pasta water into the sauce as well, so the starch in the pasta will help the sauce stick to the pasta.
- Serve the Bolognese sauce on your pasta and sprinkle with grated parmesan.
