Mushroom and walnut bolognese
The walnut ‘meat’ returns!
I’ve used it twice before now, piled high on loaded potato slices, and stuffed into lettuce wraps. Since both of these recipes spiced it up and made it taco meat style, this time I thought I’d do something a bit different and use it to make spaghetti bolognese (a firm favourite).
I usually use beef-style soy mince in my bolognese, but I loved this less processed version even more. The mushrooms give a bit of chewiness, and the coarsely ground walnuts make sure the mixture has a bit of bite. They’re cooked in with the tomatoes, so they’re not completely crunchy, but definitely give you something to sink your teeth into.
This vegan version isn’t your typical bolognese sauce. It’s not simmered for hours to make a dark, rich tomato sauce (though a splash of red wine wouldn’t go amiss!), but what the recipe lacks in colour, it makes up for in convenience – it only takes about 20 minutes to make! I used a combination of big tomatoes and little cherry tomatoes, but you can use whatever kind you have on hand.
Don’t forget to serve your spaghetti bolognese topped with a good handful of grated cheese – or keep it plain (or use vegan cheese!) for a vegan version.
Then just grab a fork and dig in…
Mushroom and walnut bolognese
If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 medium mushrooms diced fairly small
- 100 g walnuts
- 3 large tomatoes diced
- 100 g cherry tomatoes ~12, halved
- 100 ml vegetable stock ~1/3 cup
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Black pepper
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- To serve: spaghetti optional, grated cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, and add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft.
- Meanwhile, add the walnuts to a food processor, and pulse a few times until the walnuts are coarsely ground.
- Add the walnuts to the mushroom mixture, along with the remaining ingredients. Turn the heat up a little, and simmer gently for around 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down and the mixture is at your desired consistency. Serve with spaghetti and grated cheese if desired.
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Oh my this looks delicious
Wow, this looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
I’m not a mushroom girl…but my hubs is and I think he would love this!!! I also love the addition of nuts in here…I used nuts in some of my sauces and they just change the flavor profile entirely!
What a great idea Becca. I am a fan of walnuts nut have never ever thought about using them as a meat substitute. I can imagine the great texture these would provide
Oh this looks delicious, I’d never think to use nuts in Bolognese but it really sounds amazing x
I usually use lentils & mushrooms for bolognese – love the idea of adding some walnuts, though!
Yum! I love making veggie bolognese, but we usually use lentils. It makes a nice change from meat.
I had a rather similar recipe for a lasagne/pancake/shepherd’s pie filling, from Rose Elliott – had forgotten about it! Must look it up and give it a go, as I love both walnuts and mushrooms, and vegetarian alternatives (although, as I am not vegetarian, I don’t use meat substitutes like soya or quorn).
Wow that looks amazing! Never would’ve thought you could make bolognese sauce this way. It looks fantastic, though, very comforting and rich :)
This sounds absolutely delicious!