Category: Pasta

Creamy Tomato "Meat" Sauce

1/17/2017

The idea of a homemade tomato sauce may conjure up ideas of sauce slow cooking on the stove all day, letting the flavors marinate and blend. That is not was this recipe is all about. This recipe is for when you get home late from work and are looking for something quick and nourishing to heat up for dinner. If you're lucky, you'll have some of that slow simmer sauce canned and on hand to use in this recipe!

The prep work here is fairly minimal, chop up some garlic, onion, and peppers as a base to your sauce. If you have other fresh veggies on hand such as mushrooms or spinach feel free to add those as well! Adding the tempeh adds another element to the texture and some hearty protein.

I had some extra cashew sauce that I had made for the Loaded Baked Potato Pizza, which I added in to my sauce to make it creamy (and add more protein). If you want to keep it as just a basic tomato sauce then you can omit this.

Ingredients:
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 Small Onion
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 Loaf of Tempeh
1/2 Jar of Tomato Sauce
2 Tablespoons Cashew Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2

Instructions:

Dice garlic, onion, and red bell pepper. Add garlic and onion to a non-stick skillet and cook until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent them from burning. Add the red bell pepper. Stir to combine.

Crumble the tempeh into the pan. Continue to break apart with a wooden spoon or spatula until it is the desired size and consistently. I like to break it down pretty far so that it is about the same size as the onions and bell pepper.

Once the tempeh has been broken down to the desired level, well mixed in with the other ingredients, and has a bit of crispiness, add in the sauces, stir and combine.

Serve over your favorite pasta, with a side of whole wheat bread and a nice salad. Enjoy!

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Chik'n and Veggie Macaroni and Cheese

1/19/2015

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Yesterday I posted about Chik'n Alfredo Pizza and mentioned how the sauce that I made was double what I needed. I used the rest of the sauce to make this recipe. It was one of those nights where I needed to make something quick and just threw together what I had. That being said, the vegetables I used are totally interchangeable.

I'd just opened the Beyond Meat chicken so I wanted to keep on using it in case it went bad faster once it was open. It was a nice change of pace to the pasta dishes I've been eating recently and reminded me of the chicken and pasta stir fries that dominated so many of my dinners growing up. I've been really impressed at how long this one package of chicken is lasting. According to the package one serving is 6 strips, but I've only been using 6 strips per recipe, which makes it a much more economical option.

As you'll see below, it comes together really quickly. The timing really depends on what kind of vegetables you use and how soft you want them to be. The veggies and pasta cook at the same time, then you add the pasta and sauce to the veggies just to let the sauce heat up, and voila! You'll notice there aren't a lot of spices you add to this dish, because the sauce has so much flavor in it.

Ingredients:
1/2 Butternut Squash Cheese Sauce Recipe
1/3 Box of Bow Tie (or your favorite) Pasta
6 Strips of Beyond Meat chicken, sliced in thirds
1 Cup Kale
1/2 Cup Sliced Carrots
1/2 Cup Diced Onion

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2 servings

Instructions:

Cook carrot and onions in a pan with a little bit of water until the carrots have softened a bit. You don't need to add any seasonings because the sauce is so flavorful.

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to the package directions. You'll want it a little al dente because the pasta will cook more with the veggies.

Chop up the kale and add it to the pan once the carrots and onions are just about done. Add the pasta and sauce to the pan with the veggies and stir all together. Cook until everything is warmed.

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Slow Cooker Vegan Lasagna

12/15/2014

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What a winning recipe! I like making slow cooker recipes when I'm home on the weekend. I was looking through my cookbook Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Patalsky and was inspired to make a vegan lasagna. I used tofu to make the ricotta and added tempeh to tomato sauce to make it resemble a meat sauce. Jay loved it! Here are some of his quotes while finishing his plate:

"Definitely Jay Approved!"
"I can't tell that this is vegan at all!"
"The tempeh tastes exactly like ground beef!"
"One of your better ones!"

He kept on raving on the texture of the tempeh and how it worked perfectly for ground beef!

This lasagna has tofu and tempeh in it - so it's packed with protein! Definitely a hearty meal. It doesn't serve quite as easily from the slow cooker since your slices will be taller than from a lasagna dish, so not every piece will include every layer. You can also cook this in the oven if you prefer.

Ingredients:
1 small onion
1 package tempeh
1 teaspoon vegan Worcester sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 large bunch of fresh cooking greens (I used kale) or two packages frozen
2 jars tomato sauce
1/2 package no boil lasagna noodles

Tofu Ricotta:
1 package firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Servings: 6 generous portions

Instructions:

To make the tempeh meat sauce: Dice onions and cook over medium heat until translucent. Crumble the tempeh and add to the pan. Add the soy sauce and Worcester sauce and stir to coat the tempeh. Combine with the tomato sauce.

To make the tofu ricotta: Press the tofu to remove excess water. Crumble it into a bowl and add the nutritional yeast, minced garlic, and onion powder.

If you're using fresh greens, chop them up and heat them in a pan with a little water just to wilt them a bit.

Oil the bottom of your crock pot and layer the ingredients inside. Start with the tomato sauce, then a layer of noodles, followed by the tofu ricotta and greens and then start over again with the sauce. After you've placed the top layer of noodles pour the rest of the sauce on top. Cook on high for 1.5 hours or on low for 3 hours. Serve and enjoy!

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Butternut Squash Macaroni

11/2/2014

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This sauce is so simple I was amazed. I had a butternut squash and a recipe I wanted to make that only called for half of it (to be posted later), so I needed something to do with the other half. I had seen sauces made with butternut squash before, but had never attempted one myself. Since I am always trying to find a vegan cheese/cream sauce that my boyfriend, Jay, will like I thought I would give it a shot.

I thought roasting the squash would add a little something extra to the sauce flavor. In choosing spices to roast it with I thought adding nutritional yeast here could add a little bit more of the cheesy taste that I am always looking for. I wasn't exactly sure what I would add to make the sauce besides some more nutritional yeast and some non-dairy milk - turns out I didn't need a whole lot more - check out below! When Jay tasted the sauce as I was making it he said it really had that cheesy flavor that most of my sauces are missing! The cheesy flavor diminished a bit during cooking, which I'll have to work on, but we both agreed that the consistency was spot on.

Ingredients:
1/2 Butternut Squash, peeled with seeds removed
Olive oil
3 TB Nutritional Yeast
Ginger Powder
Onion Powder
1 Box Whole wheat pasta of your choice (I used shells - elbow or rigatoni would work well too)
1 Cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 Clove Garlic
1/2 Cup Bread crumbs

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice squash into quarter inch thick pieces and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly oil the top of the squash, just enough so it doesn't get burnt (if you aren't using parchment paper then oil both sides of the squash). Sprinkle the squash with nutritional yeast (this is not where you use the full three tablespoons), ginger powder, and onion powder. Roast for 30 minutes. Let cool.

While the squash is roasting cook your pasta according to package directions.

Peel and slice the garlic clove into about 4 slices. Once the squash is cool to the touch add it to your food processor or blender (my blender only works well with a lot of liquid so I used my food processor). Add half the non-dairy milk, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth. Continue to add the rest of the milk and nutritional yeast until you have the desired flavor.

Combine the pasta with 2 cups of the sauce and place in a casserole dish lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle pasta with a little bit more nutritional yeast and bread crumbs. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and broil 5 minutes uncovered. Enjoy!

Note: I've entered this recipe in theVirtual Vegan Linky Potluck 23 - check it out!

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Creamy Tomato "Meat" Sauce

Chik'n and Veggie Macaroni and Cheese

Slow Cooker Vegan Lasagna

Butternut Squash Macaroni

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﻿Creamy Tomato "Meat" Sauce

Chik'n and Veggie Macaroni and Cheese

Slow Cooker Vegan Lasagna

Butternut Squash Macaroni

Author

Categories

Archives

Creamy Tomato "Meat" Sauce