Lasagna of the gods pt1 Bolognese, with meat or meat free, 100% Vegan and a winner with everyone.
SRC: http://www.kraftcanada.com/recipes/spaghetti-bolognese-201689
This is not my picture as I forgot to take one... Whoops. At the bottom is my Lasagne prep area.
OK, so of the GODS might seem a little dramatic but if you haven't tried this lasagna recipe you have been missing out! This is a decadent, rich and flavoursome meal that the whole family will love! Its a big recipe so I will be breaking it down into 3 parts. So stay tuned!
Part 1 is the bolognese sauce. You can serve this with spaghetti or any other pasta for a mid week meal. It is also super handy to make a big batch at the weekend and divide and freeze. Just thaw and reheat for a quick dinner during the week. The best part about bolognese is that the longer you leave it the richer the flavour becomes! I always make my bolognese the day before when I am making a lasagna. The taste is far superior to a fresh made one!
Ok, I have waffled on enough now so sets get into the sauce.
Ingredients:
250g Soya mince made up with 500ml of veg stock and 2 tbs dark soy sauce. This should give you 750g of made mince.
(if you aren't a big fan of soya you can sub lentils for this. Typically weekday meals in our house are 100% plant based as in no processed foods at all)
For omnis just use your normal mince in the same proportions.
1 Jar sundried tomatoes
2 Cans of chopped tomatoes
1 tube of tomato puree
1 carton pasatta (300ml)
4 - 6 large garlic cloves (depending on how much garlic you want)
1 large red onion
1 tbs smoked paprika.
2 tbs dried mixed herbs
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs parsley
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp coarse sea salt ground.
5 bay leaves
OPTIONAL:
If you want a really meaty (cow) flavour I recommend grinding 1 tsp or raw cocao nibs and adding when the sauce is simmering. The deep notes of the raw cocao really give a strong meaty flavour.
Method:
- Add all the sundried tomatoes to a food processor (keep the oil) and half a can of the chopped tomatoes. Blend on a high speed for 1 -2 min until they are a puree
- Dice the onion and garlic.
- Take a large pot, add 2 tbs of the sundried tomato oil. and put on a med - high heat.
- Add the onion and let soften (about 2 min) then add the garlic.
- Once the garlic just starts to brown add the sundried tomato puree and mince / lentils to the pan and cook for 2 min combining well.
- Add pasatta, remainder of the chopped tomatoes, puree and smoked paprika cook for a further 5 min on a high heat.
- Lower to a simmer and add in remaining herbs and the salt and pepper. Simmer for at least 20 min to let the flavours develop.
Serving:
You can serve this with your favourite pasta, I like to serve this with linguini and some of the garlic cheese twists that are coming up in part 3! But fresh garlic toasties are also great for this.
Part 2 is the Belchme sauce! This belchme sauce is so rich it needs security!! And of course its 100% dairy free and Vegan friendly
LIKE WHAT YOU SEE?
WOW! Love following you, man!! I am learning so many cookery hacks from you. Take for example the cacao nibs...who knew? Great tip, thanks for sharing that and all of your other wonderful vegan recipes. ❤️
I made your vegan Key Lime Pie yesterday and wow, its an impressive piece of pie that...really good clean and crisp flavours, and a BIG hit with my friends and family at dinner last night! The walnut oat base is wondrous...yes, I did pre bake it for extra crunch. Will be adding it to my personal recipe book and will call it Moonunits Key Lime Pie.😊
Quick Q...while I was making it I had a thought (happens occasionally!) Do you think the key lime filling recipe, the cashews, agave, agar, coconut oil and milk would translate to also make a Vanilla "cheesecake" type thing? Minus the lime juice and zest, adding pure organic vanilla extract, or better yet, vanilla seeds fresh from a pod (or two)? I suspect it might just work. I might just have to try it...
Sweeping bow of gratitude, my friend💚
Thank you so much for your super kind words @lilygolightly I am blushing here 😳😳.
My goal is to show people that Vegan food is not only better for you, the animals and the environment but also tastier than its omni counterpart. Feedback like this lets me know that I am on the right track. The Cocao nibs are a great addition to any deep meaty flavoured dish, think Stheak and stout pie! Mmmm I nearly died when I discovered the extra deep flavours that they added to dish! I must upload that too. I have too many recipes to put up at one go.
You are correct, I use that same base for any cheese type cake I make. I was going to put up my raspberry and white chocolate one soon enough too. That is a real winner, or if you want to have a real deep chocolate cheese cake you can use this same base mix (coconut oil, agar, agave, coconut milk and cashews). It is a really robust base and takes most flavours very well. The real key to that is the agar as a firming agent. The Vanilla pods with a 1/2 to 1 tsp of essence would give a real winner of a vanilla cheese cake, you can also do some coconut whip for the top, Or if you want to really decadent, you can get a dark chocolate bar, melt in a bain marie and pour over the biscuit base after its cooled then freeze it and then add your mix. I am giving away too many secrets now, LOL.
Oh I always bake the base too, I'm a crunch fiend! Some people prefer a crumblier base.
Thanks again.
Oh don't blush @moonunit you deserve all the credit you get for the wonderful recipes you are creating, the rare and lovely wholesome approach and not least your stance in trying to make the world a better place. That combo of qualities is deserving of high praise indeed. I was actually blown away by the cacao nibs idea...weirdly I can really see that one working, however did you think of that? I like them just as they are, but honestly never thought to add them as a flavouring to savory dishes! What a winner!
I have used agar agar before, but you are right its a magic piece of kit to have in your vegan cookery pantry, seaweed gelatin...amazing stuff. 😊
In my (recipe) book...you can never have too much chocolate, especially the "dark side" bitter 70-85% cocoa solids, I make little passionfruit and dark chocolate tarts with this and they are super cute rather grown up food with fine dining flavours. I will share the recipe at some point soon.
Big hugs to you and yours from all your key lime pie fans in our household ❤️
PS Can't wait for the white chocolate raspberry version...please post that one soon. 🙏🏽
Thanks a million, I have a busy schedule ahead of me now but I'll be sure to write it up. 😀😀
Your recipes are so detailed that I feel like I’m in the kitchen right now! Thank you for sharing your talent with us, I’m feeling very inspired after reading this.
Thanks a million @generallygen, that is my aim. I dont want the posts to come across as hard to follow but more like I'm there with you to give a helping hand. Thanks for checking them out and there are plenty more to come!
@orignalworks
:D I love the joke about the bechamel sauce :D. And the recipe does looks really good. I might try it sometime :)
LOL, I like to throw in a few jokes every now and then too. Thanks for reading and your comment!
I love the addition of sun dried tomatoes! I need to start incorporating them in my recipes!
They make a big difference, the cocao nibs also give a real deep flavour. I sometimes make a Stout and Stheak pie and include them, oh man its tasty!
I agree with @veganbunnylover about the sun-dried tomatoes! I use them a good bit in my cooking, and I bet it gives a great depth to your sauce. I love pasta, so I am definitely liking this one! :)
Totally, they make a big difference and do indeed give great depth. If you make it the day before too you would be surprised how mature the flavour becomes.
Sneaky Ninja Attack! You have been defended with a 0.90% vote... I was summoned by @moonunit! I have done their bidding and now I will vanish...Whoosh