I first came to enjoy tempeh, the cultured soy protein, when Jodi was eating vegetarian back in the early days of our relationship…and my cooking journey. Though many of the plant based meals I made then stuck with us after she evolved to an omnivore’s diet, tempeh is one of those things I hadn’t made in awhile. But a package on sale caught my eye recently, and I decided to grab some. The result is this hearty Linguine with Meatless Meat Sauce recipe.
Tempeh is more dense and flavorful than tofu, so it’s a good start to a hearty meatless meat sauce. But to really add in the meaty element, I decided to incorporate a portobello mushroom as well. The portobello and tempeh get cooked up with tomatoes, onion and garlic for a simple and tasty pasta sauce. This is going to be a regular feature in our kitchen!
Our son can’t eat dairy, so we have come to appreciate the GO Veggie! Dairy Free Grated Parmesan Style Topping. You can use that to keep the meal vegan. I didn’t want to use up to much of his soy cheese, so enjoyed mine with some dairy parm cheese. Either way, you are sure to enjoy this healthy meatless meat sauce!
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Linguine with Meatless Meat Sauce
This hearty meatless meat sauce for pasta gets its “meaty” substance from tempeh and portobello mushrooms.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- ½ red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large portobello mushroom, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tsp dry basil
- ⅓ cup red wine
- 8 ozs soy tempeh (1 package)
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- 12 ozs whole wheat linguine
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive, medium heat, in a medium sized pan. Add the onion, sauté onion until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Start the water to boil for the linguine.
- Add the pepper and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the garlic, cook for another minute.
- Stir the mushrooms into the pan, add salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the mushrooms begin to sweat, about 5 minutes.
- Stir the wine in with the mushroom mixture, and cook until the wine has been mostly absorbed.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan, stir well, and bring to a simmer.
- Place the tempeh in a food processor and pulse to break into small pieces. (you could do this with a spoon in the pan if you like). Stir the tempeh pieces into the tomato mushroom mixture. Cook 10 to 15 minutes.
- Start cooking the linguine according to package instructions shortly after adding the tomatoes to the pan. Cook until al dente.
- Drain the linguine when done, and toss with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Stir in the mushroom tempeh mixture, toss to combine the sauce and mushrooms thoroughly.
- Serve with soy cheese at the table to keep the meal vegan.
Want to try another vegetarian pasta dish? Check out the Penne with Red Lentils and Ginger!
Key ingredient: The post contains Amazon affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you choose to purchase something using the link. I only link to products that we enjoy at home!
Kita
I really really like tempeh! I think this meatless meat sauce would be perfect! Sounds like a great step into ‘meatless’ meals without the worry of ‘stressing’ someone out over trying vegetarian dinners.
Cooking Chat
Thanks Kita! Tempeh is pretty tasty!