Description
Rich and flavorful, this Vegan Sausage Ragu carries all the traditional flavor of the classic Italian dish and so much more. Fresh fennel, mushrooms, lentils, and red wine make this pasta dish a beautifully healthy alternative. It is every bit as hearty and indulgent as a traditional ragu. Perfectly seasoned, coupled with amazing texture, it is sure to knock your socks off, making this dish a new family favorite. Whole Food Plant Based recipe, no oil, no sugar, no highly processed ingredients, and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut into chunks
- 1 small fennel head, cut into chunks (some stores call fennel, anise)
- 1 teaspoon dried fennel seeds, crushed (measure after seeds are crushed)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
- 8 or 10 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms (baby portabellas), sliced
- 1 – [ 28 oz. can ] whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 – [ 15 oz. can ] tomato sauce
- 1 – [ 6 oz. can ] tomato paste
- 2 ½ cups water
- ¾ cup red wine
- 2/3 cup dry small brown lentils *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 Tablespoons dried minced onions
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 3 teaspoons sea salt (+/-)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flake
Other Ingredients
- Cooked pasta of choice/gluten free pasta of choice (see notes*)
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place the chopped onion, fennel head, minced garlic and dried fennel seeds into a food processor and process until finely minced. Set aside. (Fennel Note: Remove the fennel fronds (thin leaves), remove the tiny tough core before placing in the food processor. You can save the fennel fronds for decoration or toss on a salad. )
- Place the sliced mushrooms into the Instant Pot, and sauté on high until all the water has been released from the mushroom. Carefully remove from the mushrooms from the instant pot. Set aside.
- Add the minced fennel mixture (previously processed in the food processor from Step 1) into the instant pot and use the sauté mode. Sauté over high to release the water. Once the water has released, turn off the Instant Pot.
- In the meantime, place the whole peeled tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste in the food processor and process until the whole peeled tomatoes, sauce and paste are well blended, then add to the Instant Pot.
- Add the mushrooms back into the Instant Pot, and all the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot. Set to manual pressure, high, and process for 14 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes undisturbed, then do a quick release.
- Serve over cooked pasta of choice. Top with Vegan Parmesan cheese.
Stove Top Instructions:
- Place the chopped onion, fennel head, minced garlic and dried fennel seeds into a food processor and process until finely minced. Set aside. (Fennel Note: Remove the fennel fronds (thin leaves), remove the tiny tough core before placing in the food processor. You can save the fennel fronds for decoration or toss on a salad. )
- Place the sliced mushrooms into a large ceramic/enamel lined Dutch Oven (or similar stock pot), and sauté on high until all the water has been released from the mushroom. Carefully remove from the mushrooms from the Dutch Oven. Set aside.
- Add the minced fennel mixture (previously processed in the food processor from Step 1) into the Dutch Oven, and sauté to release the water, approx. 5-7 minutes.
- In the meantime, place the whole peeled tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste in the food processor and process until the whole peeled tomatoes, sauce and paste are well blended, then place into the Dutch oven.
- Add the mushrooms back into the Dutch oven, and all the remaining ingredients to the Dutch Oven. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Simmer until the lentils are tender, approx. 25 to 35 minutes, largely dependent upon the type of lentils being used as some take longer than others.
- Serve over cooked pasta of choice. Top with Vegan Parmesan Cheese.
Notes
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Small Brown Lentils (Pardina/Spanish Brown): You can substitute any type of lentil for the brown lentil (other than red); however, you may need to adjust the cooking time. Small brown lentils typically cook a little faster than green lentils. We have found that the Small Brown Lentil works beautifully with this recipe.
*Pasta: Use your favorite pasta. We used a gluten free flat lasagna noodle, par-boiled, then cut into strips, then boiled until al dente for photography purposes. We would not recommend doing this as it just simply takes too long. We have placed this ragu over many different types of pasta, and it always works beautifully.
*Nutritional Information: Does not include pasta