Colder nights mean comfort food, specially if you live in New England. Today, I’m sharing a recipe I created a few months ago using the latest trend turned lifestyle in food – plant-based meat products! This Beyond Meat Bolognese recipe is entirely vegan but satisfies any hearty, stick to your bones craving.
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Eating a more plant-based diet is a goal of mine for the new year, and slowly but surely I’ve been adapting my favorite recipes to become more earth and animal friendly, starting with the classic bolognese, here a vegan version that simmers for just as long as the traditional Italian version and tastes just as good.
To make this recipe, you’re going to need a ground beef replacement and that’s where the Beyond Meat Plant Based Ground comes in. Please note this is not a sponsored recipe, as I purchased this locally and decided to give it a try! You might be wondering, so if it’s not meat…what is it? Well, here are the ingredients: Water, Pea Protein Isolate*, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Refined Coconut Oil, Rice Protein, Natural Flavors, Cocoa Butter, Mung Bean Protein, Methylcellulose, Potato Starch, Apple Extract, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Vinegar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Sunflower Lecithin, Pomegranate Fruit Powder, Beet Juice Extract (for color).
There’s been plenty of discussion around how healthy are these meat replacement products versus animal meat, and the final decision is up to you. I still consume meat throughout the week (maybe 2-3 times) and am slowly trying to eat a more plant based diet, so for me these products make it easier to transition. And the ingredients are pretty wholesome in my opinion, but again, it all depends on you, your lifestyle, and what you decide to put in your body.
This vegan Beyond Meat Bolognese simmers for up to two hours on the stove top (granted the plant based ground for Beyond Meat does not need to cook that long) but the long simmer time allowed for the vegetables to soften and marry the other ingredients, making for a luscious sauce to serve over pasta.
One of my favorite meals to make in the fall and winter, and it’s an easy one to double and freeze a batch of for eating later! Serve this Beyond Meat Bolognese over pasta, but you can also serve it over mashed cauliflower or potatoes, as well as any roast vegetables of your liking. To find Beyond Meat, check out their “where to find” section and discover which of your local stores carry it.
Before you dive into this recipe, make sure to get out the necessary tools and set yourself up for success:
- Large stock pot – I recommend using a stainless steel stock pot
- Chef’s knife – personally I use Shun knives
- Wooden spoons – eco-friendly and won’t scratch your pot!
- Pasta strainer
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¾ cup red wine (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Beyond Meat Plant Based Ground
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- In a medium to large stock pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery and sauté for 10-20 minutes until soften. Add the tomato paste and deglaze the pan with the wine. If not using wine, use water or vegetable stock.
- Add the fennel seed, oregano, and Beyond Meat Plant Based Ground. Using a wooden spoon, break it up and stir to incorporate. Add the crushed and chopped garlic at this point - I like to add the garlic later in the recipe to avoid burning and it developing a bitter flavor.
- Once the plant based ground is incorporated, add the crushed tomatoes, stir and reduce heat to the lowest possible. Cover for the first 30-45 minutes, slowly simmering.
- Serve with your choice of pasta!
Love love this recipe! It’s a staple in my house. However I have to wholeheartedly disagree with using the canned whole peeled tomatoes. They are impossible to ever crush without turning kitchen into a murder scene and the huge chunks of core in them very unappealing. So I use some of the thick liquid, extra tomato paste and secret ingredient of ketchup! Brings the in depth tomato flavor so good. No one can tell. Also I make like a real bolognese-use cream (silk makes a great vegan non dairy), nutmeg and an generous 1/2 cup of vegan of Parmesan cheese to sauce . Make sure it’s vegan though-“Follow your heart” makes a great brand of grated Parmesan cheese. I add a least 1/2cup
After piling the beautiful combined pasta and sauce I mound in our family pasta bowl, top with generous lemon zest-truly makes it sing! Then chop a handful of basil leaves and once you present the dish, mix the basil in with the rest.
I LOVE this recipe!!!! I am not vegan but exploring plant-based. I served it with Banza (chick pea) pasta shells + real Parmesan. I didn’t have an open bottle of wine so I used chicken stock. PS don’t be fooled by the low number of reviews – this is the top search result when you Google “beyond meat bolognese.” YUM!!!
Can I do this in the crockpot?? Will the “meat” turn out rubbery?
I bet you can!
I put it over spaghetti squash and it was delicious!
I love it! it was easy and delicious.
this recipe is awesome and i’ve made it several times now. i add in some chili flakes and a bay leaf when simmering, and sauté the garlic right before the tomato sauce goes in. also toasted the fennel and crushed it with mortar and pestle. i finish it off with fresh parsley and basil leaves to brighten it up. really satisfying.
Thank you. It was excellent!
I live this recipe. I am definitely going to make pasta the way recipe says. Thank you.
This recipe was so delicious and easy to make! Thank you so much for creating delicious vegan meals.
This is an incredible recipe!! Super good! I’m not a Vegan but trying to be a little more plant based going forward. I mix in a few tablespoons of A1 and a a little Worcestershire sauce to the Beyond Beef and it gives it a nicer beef flavor.
This is so delicious! I didn’t have onion so used shallots. Also toasted the fennel before putting into sauce. Can’t tell it’s not meat.
Yum!!! I love seeing your vegan recipes ☺️ I’m definitely going to make this. I especially love the idea of putting this over potatoes. Would be yummy over spaghetti squash too! Thanks for sharing!