Less is more. Famous architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said this about simple design and architecture back in the days. And he was/is right. Same can be applied to the food we eat. It does not mean you have to eat less food in general, but more selective. Reduced meat consumption, for example, is good for your health and also better for the environment… and often cheaper. How do I get to the Veggie Bolognese with this introduction? I don’t know ;P
Of course, I know ;) We are not vegetarians or vegans here. However, we love to eat veggies and are trying to include them in our diet every day. Simple oven-roasted veggies, veggie stew, or a simple bowl of salad. That sounds more like “more is more”, right? But it is not. It’s all about less meat and dairy products in your diet.
A few years ago vegan burgers with fake meat made their first appearance… and were a huge success immediately. Nowadays you can get basically everything that was usually made with meat and dairy products made with plants only. Sausages, cold cuts, everything chicken, fish, cheese, etc. – everything you can imagine now has a vegetarian/vegan alternative. Including the minced meat for your favorite Italian dish: Pasta with bolognese sauce ;)
There is really an almost endless selection of meat/dairy product alternatives. Unfortunately, not all are good or taste good. It took quite some time for us to find the right products to use in our (formerly meaty) dishes. We tried our bolognese sauce with several minced meat substitutes and unfortunately, everything that looked like real minced meat in the stores did not really work for us and was not tasty at all. The only thing that worked was shredded soy – as you can see here now ;)
These dry soy shreds may seem a bit strange at first – tbh they also smell a bit strange at first… but the result is really great. I would have never thought so the first time I let them soak in veggie broth to get them ready for cooking. Never. I was really skeptical when I made this sauce for the first time because it’s just weird to throw something into your pot that looks like shredded cardboard… but in the end, it really worked ;)
Here you can find more vegan recipes.
To be honest – this sauce here probably will not beat your grandma’s bolognese sauce with real meat that was simmering for 4-5 hours on the stove. That is impossible. But compared to the bolognese sauce everybody else does it is actually really nice. Most people I served my veggie bolognese yet did not even notice it was not made without meat. That says something, right? ;)
Another plus of soy shreds instead of real meat: much cheaper. Thanks to inflation and rising prices everywhere, soy shreds like the ones I used here are now a lot cheaper than regular ground beef. A large package of soy shreds is usually cheaper than a package of minced meat (even the most affordable at the supermarket) and you can prepare three times the amount of sauce. That’s good, right? ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the soy mince:
5.3 oz. (150g) soy mince (e.g. Veganz Soja-Granulat*)
2/3 cup (180ml) lukewarm water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
For the bolognese sauce:
some oil for frying
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, very finely diced
1 celery stalk, very finely diced
1.8 oz. (50g) dried tomatoes (in oil), chopped
3 tbsp. tomato paste
5 fl. oz. (150ml) vegetable broth
25 oz. (700g) tomato passata
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian herbs
salt, pepper
Für das Soja Hack:
150g Soja-Granulat (z.B. Veganz Soja-Granulat*)
180ml lauwarmes Wasser
2 EL Sojasauce
Für die Bolognese:
etwas Öl zum Anbraten
1 große Zwiebel, fein gehackt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, fein gehackt
1 mittelgroße Karotte, sehr fein gewürfelt
1 Stangensellerie, sehr fein gewürfelt
50g getrocknete Tomaten (in Öl), gehackt
3 EL Tomatenmark
150ml Gemüsebrühe
700g Tomaten Passata
1 TL Oregano
1 TL italienische Kräuter
Salz, Pfeffer
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel the carrot and cut it into very fine cubes. Clean the celery and also finely dice. Finely chop the dried tomatoes. Set everything aside.
3. Heat up some oil in a large (cast iron) pot. Add the onion and saute until soft and glossy – takes about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot, and celery and cook for a few minutes over medium heat until slightly softer. Add dried tomatoes and continue cooking for another minute or so. Add the tomato paste, stir well and allow to develop some roasting flavors. Add the soaked soy mince and mix everything. Let cook for about 4-5 minutes – stir often so nothing burns. Deglaze with the veggie broth and passata, add oregano and the Italian herbs, and season well with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Keep stirring from time to time to make sure nothing burns. The sauce should thicken a bit. If too much of the liquid evaporates add some water.
4. While the sauce is simmering, prepare your favorite pasta according to the package instructions. Serve the finished bolognese with the pasta and some (vegan) grated cheese.
2. Zwiebel und Knoblauch schälen und fein hacken. Karotte schälen und in sehr feine Würfel schneiden. Stangensellerie säubern und ebenfalls fein würfeln. Die getrockneten Tomaten fein hacken. Alles zur Seite stellen.
3. Etwas Öl in einem großen (gusseisernen) Topf erhitzen. Die Zwiebel dazugeben und glasig dünsten – dauert etwa 2-3 Minuten. Knoblauch, Karotte und Stangensellerie dazugeben und bei mittlerer Hitzezufuhr einige Minuten mit anbraten. Getrocknete Tomaten dazugeben und für 1 Minute mit anbraten. Das Tomatenmark dazugeben, unterrühren und kurz rösten lassen. Das eingeweichte Soja-Granulat dazugeben und alles gut vermengen – unter ständigem Rühren (damit nichts anbrennt) etwa 4-5 Minuten mit anbraten. Mit der Gemüsebrühe und Passata ablöschen, Oregano und italienische Kräuter dazugeben und gut mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Die Hitzezufuhr reduzieren und für etwa 15-20 Minuten köcheln lassen. Immer wieder umrühren, damit nichts anbrennt. Die Soße sollte etwas eindicken. Falls zu viel Flüssigkeit einkocht, kann man mit etwas Wasser wieder auffüllen.
4. Während die Bolognese kocht, Lieblingspasta nach Packungsanleitung zubereiten. Die fertige Bolognese mit den Nudeln und etwas (veganem) geriebenem Käse servieren.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Easy Veggie Bolognese (with Soy Mince)
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:30
- Total Time: 01:00
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Not only for meatless Monday – this Veggie Bolognese (with Soy Mince) is easy to prepare and really delicious. Nobody will notice the difference ;)
Ingredients
For the soy mince:
5.3 oz. (150g) soy mince (e.g. Veganz Soja-Granulat*)
2/3 cup (180ml) lukewarm water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
For the bolognese sauce:
some oil for frying
1 large onion, finely chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, very finely diced
1 celery stalk, very finely diced
1.8 oz. (50g) dried tomatoes (in oil), chopped
3 tbsp. tomato paste
5 fl. oz. (150ml) vegetable broth
25 oz. (700g) tomato passata
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. Italian herbs
salt, pepper
Instructions
1. Add the soy mince to a bowl. Add the lukewarm water and soy sauce and mix to combine. Let soak for about 10 minutes.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel the carrot and cut it into very fine cubes. Clean the celery and also finely dice. Finely chop the dried tomatoes. Set everything aside.
3. Heat up some oil in a large (cast iron) pot. Add the onion and saute until soft and glossy – takes about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, carrot, and celery and cook for a few minutes over medium heat until slightly softer. Add dried tomatoes and continue cooking for another minute or so. Add the tomato paste, stir well and allow to develop some roasting flavors. Add the soaked soy mince and mix everything. Let cook for about 4-5 minutes – stir often so nothing burns. Deglaze with the veggie broth and passata, add oregano and the Italian herbs, and season well with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and let the sauce simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Keep stirring from time to time to make sure nothing burns. The sauce should thicken a bit. If too much of the liquid evaporates add some water.
4. While the sauce is simmering, prepare your favorite pasta according to the package instructions. Serve the finished bolognese with the pasta and some (vegan) grated cheese.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
