Vegan Bolognese

First, start the cashew cream. In a small bowl soak cashews in the water while you prepare the sauce. See Note.

In a large saute pan over medium heat add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the frozen Beyond Meat Beef Free crumble to the pan. Saute for approximately 5 minutes to thaw the “meat” and to create crispy bits on the bottom of your pan. Remove “meat” from the pan and set aside in a small bowl. Do not clean the pan.

Add remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pan. Add onions, carrot and bell pepper to pan and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes. Pour red wine (or broth) into the pan and use a wooden spoon to stir and deglaze the pan. Let the wine reduce for 3 minutes.

Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, jarred marinara sauce, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, agave nectar, salt and crushed red pepper to the pan. Stir to combine. Add Beyond Meat crumbles back to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

After 1 hour add the minced parsley. Cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Finish the cashew cream: While the sauce finishes cooking go back to your cashews soaking in the water. Blend the cashews and water in a high powered blender for 2 minutes until cashews are completely blended. Set aside until sauce has completed cooking.

Remove bay leaves from sauce. Add 1/4 cup of the cashew cream to your sauce. Stir in completely and taste for seasoning. Add more salt, pepper and cashew cream based on your tastes. More cashew cream will make the sauce creamier and richer. Add 1/4 cup at a time until you achieve your desired results. Typically I use 1/2 cup.

Serve the Bolognese by placing cooked spaghetti noodles on each plate and topping with sauce. Sprinkle with additional parsley. Serve warm. Sauce freezes very well.

Note: If you don’t have a high-powered blender to make the cashew cream you will need to soak cashews in water for 8 hours, or overnight. This will allow you to create a smooth cashew cream in a standard blender.