Veggie Bolognese!

_M is an amazing cook, and he makes a mean turkey Bolognese. One of my struggles with going veggie is the idea that I won't be able to savour as much of _M's chef skills anymore. He surprised me one evening by converting his Turkey Bolognese into Veggie Bolognese, and I was over the moon!

Given that it was a wet and dreary day in Seattle yesterday, I requested it for dinner. I asked him for the recipe so that I can blog about it, to which he replied "It is an Eng Family Secret". I ended up savoring a glass of cabernet as I spied on him cooking.  A disclaimer that this recipe will read like a police stake out report…

Ingredients

1 medium sweet onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1.5 28 oz. cans of peeled Italian whole peeled tomatoes (we used Bella Terra Organic Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes)
1 package of vegan ground beef substitute (we used Trader Joe's Beef-less Ground Beef)*
Couple pinches of dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Fistful of Basil leaves, chopped
Half package of your favourite spaghetti
Bottle of your favourite red wine (you only need 3/4ths of a cup...most will be for enjoying with the meal :))

*I usually am not a fan of meat substitutes, but I do love this Veggie Bolognese

4:49pm
_M heat olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven, and adds the chopped onions and sautés them until they are softened and translucent. He lowers the heat to medium.

4:59pm
Onions are done, and _M adds 3/4ths package of vegan "beef" and combines it with onions.

5:00pm
_M add two generous splashes of red wine and combine with onion/beef. I think he added about 3/4 cup. He lets the wine reduce for about 1 minute.

5:01pm
_M adds 1.5 cans of the peeled tomatoes to the pot and combines it with the sauce. He helped the tomatoes break down by scooping them up individually in a wooden spoon, and carefully slices them with a steak knife. He stirs the sauce to combine.

5:07pm
_M said "Opps, I forgot the garlic after the onion!" He added about ~20 shakes of garlic power, a pinch of oregano and two bay leaves to the sauce. _M being a perfectionist, he chopped 4 cloves of garlic and sautéed them over a small sauce pan, before adding it to the sauce. (I think if you want to try this recipe, you should stick with adding 4 cloves of chopped garlic after the onions, and skip the garlic powder)

5:17pm

_M adds one tablespoon of tomato paste, and stirs to combine. He sets the heat to low, and cover the Dutch oven.

5:20pm
Given there is half a can of peeled tomatoes left, I steal two for a snack.

5:22pm
Ok, make that three peeled tomatoes that I pilfered (who knew peeled tomatoes out of a can taste so good!) At this point, _M chops one big fistful of basic leaves. The house smells amazing.

5:27pm
I just want to give _M credit that he is now doing the dishes while the sauce further reducing...I am so lucky...

5:53pm
_M has checked the pot from time to time, and stirs the sauce. He now starts filling a pot to boil the pasta, and I'm enjoying my 2nd glass of cab. I love it when _M cooks with wine ^__^

6:30pm
_M adds salt and pepper to the sauce to taste, and stirs it to combine. He takes the cover off to further reduce the sauce

6:54pm
_M pulls out the two bay leaves, and the sauce looks almost ready! The pasta has been cooking and I'm drooling with anticipation

6:58pm
_M removes the Dutch oven from heat, and adds the chopped basil. He serves over pasta and dinner is served!

We used about half of the sauce, and saved the other half for leftovers.  The sauce only gets better in the fridge, and they make a great Veggie Sloppy Joe!


Curious about the nutritional content of the sauce, I uploaded this recipe to livestrong.  I guessed that the sauce made about 4 big servings, and the verdict is pretty good!  Less than 200 calories per serving, with 11.77 grams of protein but no cholesterol.

I word smithed the recipe to turn it more traditional in case you want to try it out


Preparation:
Chop onions, garlic, and basil.
Roughly chop the whole peeled tomatoes, but retain the sauce inthe cans. After chopping the tomatoes, place them back into the can with the sauce.

Directions:
Heat a dutch oven over medium heat, and add some olive oil. Add the onions and garlic and sautee until the onions are yellow and translucent.
Lower the heat to medium, and add the beef-less ground beef, combining it with the onions. Cook for 1 minute.
Add 3/4th cup of red wine to the mix, and let it reduce for 1 minute.
Add the peeled tomatoes including the sauce, and combine it to the mix. Let this cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the dried oregano and two bay leaves and one tablespoon of tomato paste to the sauce, stirring to combine. Set the heat to low and cover the dutch oven.
Let the sauce cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring it from time to time.  If the sauce starts to dry out, add some water
Remove the cover and add salt and pepper to taste. Now let the sauce reduce to your liking. Before serving, remove the two bay leaves.
Serve over your pasta of choice! Left overs make a great veggie Sloppy Joes

Happy Cooking!