Ultimate Vegan Comfort Food – Bolognese Recipe

Hello friends!

Today’s post is another recipe- spag bol is possibly the most comforting comfort food! And being vegan absolutely does not mean we have to miss out on our favourite tea time classics. Here’s my go-to recipe for bolognese!

Ingredients:

200g vegan mince

Tin chopped tomatoes

Tbsp tomato purée

Olive oil

Half a white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

Sliced chillies (to taste)

Handful mushrooms, chopped

Handful olives, sliced

2 chunks frozen spinach

Small carrot, grated

Half a courgette, grated

Chopped fresh basil

Tsp yeast extract

Vegetable stock cube

Red wine (to taste)

1/2 tsp instant coffee

Herbs/spices: dried oregano, dried marjoram, dried thyme, shake of cayenne, shake of paprika, salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Fry the onion in olive oil, and when its starting to go translucent add the garlic. Once both are cooked through (you’ll be able to tell by the smell!), add the herbs and spices and the tomato purée. Stir together for a few minutes before adding the mince. Stir the mince whilst it cooks to prevent it catching. Once the mince is around 90% cooked, add the can of tomatoes, spinach, stock cube, coffee (trust me) and yeast extract (again, trust me – it adds an extra savoury dimension without being detectable, and is a great source of B vitamins). Cook for a few minutes, then add your chillies and basil*, as well as any veg you choose to include. I find that grating carrot and courgette into dishes such as these is a brilliant way to get extra veg into your meals without altering flavour or texture too much. Finish with a glug of red wine, and simmer until you’re ready!

*to save me buying packets of fresh basil and throwing away 90% of it or having another plant die on me, I buy a pack of fresh basil, chop it, and freeze it in ice cube trays with a bit of water to keep it together. Then when I’m making a dish such as this, I pop a basil-cube into the pan and hey presto! Fresh basil flavour without the waste.

Serve with pasta, preferably spaghetti (I didn’t have any, so penne it was) and some grated cheese. Parmesan-style vegan cheese is relatively easy to find and is perfect for this but again, I didn’t have any so regular old (vegan) cheese had to do!

Hope you give this a try and enjoy it as much as I do 🍝

Maddie x

Ultimate Vegan Comfort Food – Chilli Recipe

Greetings!

For day 9 of Blogtober, I’m starting my Ultimate Vegan Comfort Food series. For the first post in the series I’m going to share my chilli ‘non’ carne recipe. It’s 100% vegan and the perfect meal for warming up in the autumn.

Ingredients:

200g vegan mince (I recommend Naturali, but any will do)

Large can chopped tomatoes

Large can red kidney beans in water

Handful mushrooms, chopped

Handful black olives, sliced

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

1/2 white onion, diced

2/3 cloves garlic (to taste)

Chopped chillies (to taste)

2 tbsp tomato purée

1 tbsp chipotle chilli paste

1 cube vegetable stock

1 tsp yeast extract

Drizzle olive oil

Squeeze of lime

For the spice blend: cayenne, cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, dried thyme, dried marjoram, salt and pepper to taste.

To serve: cooked white rice, vegan cheese, vegan sour cream or crème fraîche (I found crème fraîche easier to get hold of), parsley (dried or fresh).

Method

Briefly toast the spice blend in a hot dry pan, then add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the onion to the pan, cooking until softened slightly, then add the garlic. Avoid adding them together as garlic burns quickly. Add the mince and continue frying until both the garlic and onion are softened and translucent and the mince is mostly cooked. Add the can of tomatoes, tomato puree, chipotle paste, yeast extract and stock cube. Let simmer, stirring occasionally. Add peppers, mushrooms, chillies and olives (veggies can be adjusted to personal preference) to the pan. Cook the red kidney beans in a separate pan until 90% cooked, then drain and add to the pan. Add a squeeze of lime and continue to simmer until the consistency is as desired. To serve, spoon chilli over a bowl of cooked rice, grate over some vegan cheese and add a dollop of crème fraiche. Top with fresh or dried parsley.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Maddie x