I have a ground beef crumble that uses this same concept of cauliflower, walnuts and mushrooms. Pulse in a food processor, add taco seasoning for tacos or use in a casserole, etc. Using this same idea and a marinara sauce recipe I made this for dinner last night. It turned out really good and you can't taste the mushrooms as there are only a few and there is so many other flavors going on. I served this over brown rice spaghetti. It is better to let the sauce simmer for a while and thicken up so you will want to start your sauce early in the day. I started everything early and let the crumbles sit while the sauce simmered.
For the crumbles:
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 4 ounces mushrooms, large chopped (I used baby bellas)
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
Preheat oven to 375F. Pulse all the above ingredients in your food processor, don't over do it you want something resembling ground beef. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the mixture into an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then gently toss, add back to oven for another 15 minutes.
Marinara Sauce:- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic (I buy pre minced)
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine (or veggie broth) I used Pinot Noir
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- several grinds of black pepper
- 1 16-ounce package spaghetti noodles, or your favorite pasta.
Set a large Dutch oven over medium heat and saute the celery, onions and garlic for 3-4 minutes in a few tablespoons of water.
Add the tomato paste and a little more water and stir well.
Add the red wine and stir, allow to cook about 5 minutes.
Add the remainder of the sauce ingredients. Stir well and let cook about 5-6 minutes.
Reduce heat and let the marinara sauce simmer at least 20 minutes. But longer results in a thicker sauce.
While that simmer check on the cooling crumbles. Start your water for your pasta.
Once the sauce is the thickness you like add the crumbles.
Stir well and leave on low while you cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Serve it up with a salad, or some bread.
Enjoy!!!