This hearty meal is perfect for a cold night, or when you need something that’s a bit of a comfort food. Its reminiscent of a very meaty bolognese both in texture and in taste. Because there is a ton of spice you won’t be let down on the flavor, or feel like you’re missing out.
It’s also really quick to assemble. You don’t need to precook anything – just throw the ingredients in a pot, and stir until it’s heated and to the right texture. We usually find that we have all the ingredients in the pantry at all times, so this is one of those meals that’s in the regular rotation. Especially when we don’t want to put together something complex.
Meaty mushroom and walnut bolognese
Ingredients
Pulse in food processor:
- 1 1/2 cups mushrooms can use rehydrated dried
- 1/3 cup walnut pieces (can substitute other nuts)
- 1/4 cup flax meal
- 1/4 cup sliced dried garlic can sub minced or powdered
- 1/4 cup onion sliced
On stovetop:
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes 2 to 3 cups. Marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water Optional, or more, to thin sauce if needed.
- 3 Tbsp garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp basil Dried. Or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Montreal Steak Spice To taste. Low or no sodium, or sub preferred herb blend.
- 2 tsp onion powder Powder or granulated
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes To taste.
Instructions
- Cook preferred noodles using package directions.
- Add walnuts, flax, garlic, mushrooms and onions to a food processor and mince thoroughly.
- Add marinara and remaning ingredients to a pot on the stovetop and bring to simmer. Add walnut blend from food processor to the pot when ready.
- Simmer for about 10-15 minutes (or while noodles are cooking), until walnuts are at desired texture.
- Serve sauce with noodles, seasoning as necessary (black pepper and hot sauce are common additions in our household.)
Play around with the spices until you find something that you like. Try adding a bit of white pepper (just a bit, about a 1/2 tsp), or spice it up with hot sauce. I always top this with some hot sauce like sriracha and a bunch of pepper. Tell us what you like to do in the comments!
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John Stellon
Great stuff – almost like mommy used to make in the Bronx. And believe me, that’s a compliment.
Jen @ Plant Based Recipe
Love that! That makes me so happy – thank you 🙂
patricia benezra
I can’t print. I’m not having problems printing recipes on any other site except this one. Can you help?
Jen @ PlantBasedRecipe
Hi Patricia! I just tried reproducing the issue in Chrome, Firefox and Safari on the mac, and print seems to be working fine on my end in those browsers. I can try to reproduce the problem and report it to the developers of the recipe plugin if we sort it out. I would need to know:
– What operating system you’re using (Mac, Windows, iOS or Android phone or tablet, etc).
– Which button you’re using (top Print button or one on the recipe box), or are you using File > Print.
– What happens when you click the button (nothing happens, a dialog or window opens and nothing happens, etc).
In the mean time, you might want to try a different browser and see if it works in that. You can also email me if you prefer: https://www.plantbasedrecipe.com/contact/ (link at top).
Thanks for letting me know!
Angie
I liked the taste and the walnut/mushroom base for the meat, but I think if I made it again i’d omit the flax. I feel like that gave it a weird “slimy” texture that was not good.
Jen @ PlantBasedRecipe
Thanks for letting me know! I didn’t notice that texture, but it’s possible due to a difference between flax products. Were you using a meal, or some other type of flax? I’ll definitely grab a few different products and see if it makes a texture difference in this. Thanks again!
Guest
If I’m reading the recipe correctly, 2 cups of tomatoes uses 1/4 cup sliced dried garlic, 3 tablespoons fresh minced garlic and 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 3 tablespoons of dried basil. Is that correct? That is a huge amount of garlic and a lot of dried basil for 6 servings.
Jen @ Plant Based Recipe
Yes, I typically add a lot more spice than other recipe sites. I do what I do at home, and notice that around the various recipe commenters folks always say to double or triple the garlic which is what I’ve always done. I used to pull it back, but now I just publish them as I do them in real life. But if it sounds like it might be too much, I always encourage to start with half and add to taste 🙂 Do note that the dried sliced garlic is not *nearly* as strong as regular minced or fresh garlic.