in Main Dish

The Ultimate Vegan Meat(less) Sauce

by Andrew Olson July 10, 2014, 5:00 am

I hope you have some of those “Perfect Veggie Burgers” left from last week! If you didn’t see that post, it’s an amazing veggie burger recipe that tastes delicious and holds together really well. After making those, I started thinking, “I wonder what else I could do with these burgers…” A classic ‘meat’ sauce over pasta was the first thing that came to mind.

Oh my goodness. Vegetarians: you are no longer limited to plain ol’ tomato sauce. By using these veggie burgers in place of traditional hamburger, we can create an authentic-tasting meat sauce that just might fool your omnivorous friends into thinking it’s the real thing. It turned out even better than I could have expected. And with those veggie burgers on hand, it’s a snap to make. Here’s how:

Vegan_Meat_Sauce

Makes 4 cups of sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white onion
2 cloves garlic
2 Perfect Veggie Burgers
1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
1 16 oz can tomato sauce (puree)

3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried fennel
Salt & black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Vegan_Meat_Sauce_Bowl

Step One

Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a small drizzle of olive oil. When hot, toss in 1/2 cup of chopped white onion and a few cloves of minced garlic. Allow the onions to soften and turn translucent (about 4-5 minutes).

Step Two

Meanwhile, cut the veggie burgers (thaw first, if frozen) into loose 1/2 inch chunks and throw them into the pan once the onions and garlic have softened. Stir to combine and give this another 2-3 minutes of cooking.

Step Three

In a blender, combine the three tomato products: the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce (which is smooth tomato puree), and about 3 tablespoons of tomato paste in a blender or food processor and just pulse several times until the larger tomato chunks have broken down and everything is fully incorporated. Then, pour this into the skillet. You’ll now have something that’s starting to look like meat sauce and it’s time to get excited.

Sauce_Progress

Step Four

Throw in the dried oregano, thyme, and fennel along with a generous pinch of salt & pepper. Allow this to simmer, uncovered, for at least 25 minutes so that the tomatoes can cook and the flavors can meld beautifully together.

Step Five

Finally, when the sauce is nearly completed, add a handful or two of chopped fresh basil. Waiting until the last minute prevents the basil from losing too much flavor through excessive cooking. Give the sauce another 2-3 minutes and then taste – feel free to adjust any spices/seasonings as needed before finishing.

Serve immediately over your favorite pasta or store in a sealed mason jar for up to a week in the refrigerator.

Note: due to the nature of the veggie burgers, the sauce may absorb the liquid and become excessively thick during and/or after cooking. If this happens, feel free to add as much water as needed to reach your desired consistency. I added about 1/2 cup of extra water during cooking and another 1/2 cup before serving.