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–+ servings

Tempeh Bolognese

A delicious twist on an Italian classic, made with tempeh and mushrooms for a rich and hearty sauce.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 3 to 4 servings

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 white onion
  • ½ carrot optional
  • 1 small celery stalk optional
  • 5.2 oz tempeh 150g
  • 10 oz button mushrooms 280g
  • 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove crushed
  • 2 sprig Rosemary or 1 teaspoon dry rosemary
  • 1 sprig sage optional
  • ½ cup white or red wine
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 can tomato passata 400g/14oz
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce or regular soy sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • pasta of choice

Instructions
 

  • Finely chop the onion, carrot, and celery stalk (if using). You can pop the all in a food processor and chop them quickly like that.
    1 white onion, ½ carrot, 1 small celery stalk
  • Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
    Toss in the onion, carrot, celery (or just onion) and a crushed garlic clove with a pinch of salt. Let them cook for about 8 minutes.
    Add finely chopped 2 sprigs of rosemary and 1 spirg sage (or dry) and cook for another 2 minutes.
    1 large garlic clove, 2 sprig Rosemary, 1 sprig sage, Salt and pepper, 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • In the meantime, with a food processor, blitz the tempeh into crumbles. You can also use your hands, but a food processor makes them a bit more even.
    5.2 oz tempeh
  • Do the same for the mushrooms, pulse them until roughly chopped. This method gives them shapes you wouldn’t get by simply slicing them. They also cook evenly and blend seamlessly into the sauce.
    10 oz button mushrooms
  • Add the mushrooms and tempeh to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in ½ cup of wine (red is better but white works too) and let it evaporate.
    ½ cup white or red wine
  • Pour in 1 can of tomato passata (400g/14oz can) and add some water (about ⅔ of the can’s volume). Then add 2 tablespoon tomato paste, and 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce. If you have only regular soy sauce I suggest adding 1 teaspoon of maple syrup or brown sugar as dark soy sauce is thicker and sweeter. Add salt and pepper and give everything a good mix so the tempeh and mushrooms soak up the flavors.
    2 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 can tomato passata, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • Bring to a simmer, and let it cook for about 30-40 minutes on low heat. The longer it simmers, the richer the flavor! Check on it from time to time and give it a stir, to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom.
  • Drizzle in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil right at the end. Why? Adding oil at the end enhances the richness, smooths out the sauce, and gives it that silky, luxurious finish. Meat is traditionally is used, and it has more fat than mushrooms and tempeh, so it helps achieve a similar result.
    4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Serve it over your favorite pasta, top with some nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan, and dig in!
    pasta of choice
Keyword mushrooms, Tempeh
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