This penne pasta with vegan mince, lentils and mushrooms, smothered in a tomato and olive sauce, then topped with vegan parmesan and fresh parsley gives you pro-level deliciousness with only basic cooking level skills. Like, fry-up-some-ingredients-and-add-some-sauce level skills. I’ve included two recipes, a 15-minute version for using a store bought sauce, and a 30-minute version for making your own (super easy) sauce. The choice is yours!
Plant-Based Spaghetti ‘Meat’ Choices:
I’m using a favourite of mine, soya mince crumbles. You can get these as dehydrated chunks in most supermarkets or Indian / Asian stores, or get them as as ready-to-use crumbles in the vegetarian / vegan fridge section of most supermarkets. Brands like Frys or Woolworths (South Africa) make great options!
When I cook dehydrated soya mince, I like to boost the savoury flavour by adding a tablespoon of vegan Worcestershire sauce (such as Maggie Lazenby) along with vegan mushroom or beef stock to the rehydration water. A tablespoon of tomato paste takes it the next level of umami heaven, if you have it!
You aren’t limited to soya mince for this recipe. You can swap it out, or bulk it up with any of the following:
🌱Any extra chopped mushrooms (shiitake, porcini, portabello, or regular button mushrooms work best)
🌱A tin of brown lentils
🌱Cauliflower crumblesÂ
🌱Chopped eggplant
🌱Chopped zucchini
🌱Plant based sausage, sliced
🌱Chickpeas (whole, or roughly chopped / run through food processor)
🌱Firm tofu, grated or finely chopped and soaked in the rehydration mix mentioned above
Easy Ground Beef, Mushroom & Olive Pasta
Vegan Ground Beef, Mushroom & Olive Pasta Ingredients List
Basic ingredients for both 15 and 30 minute versions:
- Penne pasta (2/3rds cup of dried pasta per serving)
- Tomato Olive pasta sauce (Store bought, or see below list for ingredients to make own sauce)
- Vegan mince (or meat replacement of your choosing)
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- Onion
- Nutritional Yeast
- Vegan parmesan
- Flat Italian Parsley for garnish (only fresh will do, replace with fresh basil or or oregano if fresh parsley is not available)
Plus, for the 30 minute version:
- 1 Cup Olives, chopped (Black or green)
- 1 Cup dried red lentils
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 full teaspoon fresh)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 full teaspoon fresh)
- 1 punnet cremini / baby portabellini mushrooms
- 1/2 cup cubed celery
- 1/2 cup cubed/ grated carrot
- Tablespoon of vegan worcester sauce
- 1 cube of vegan beef / mushroom stock
- Teaspoon of chilli if you like it arrabbiata (spicy!)
SUPERFAST 15-MINUTE VERSION (BEGINNER VEGANS)
1) Put a pot of penne pasta on the boil
2) Sautee a chopped onion in some olive oil
3) Add your meat replacement + brown it (soya mince, mushrooms. eggplant, lentils, zucchini etc)
4) Add your fave premade tomato and olive pasta sauce (We love Woolworths option)
5) When heated through, add drained penne + mix it up nice & good
6) Season with nutritional yeast, fresh parsley or oregano + enjoy!
Vegan Ground Beef, Mushroom & Olive Pasta
HOME-MADE SAUCE VERSION (30 MINUTES)
1) Put a pot of penne pasta on the boil. Begin rehydrating dried soya mince crumbles in water, Lazenby sauce and vegan beef stock, if using.
2) Add a punnet of quartered cremini or baby portabello mushrooms to a pot with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Do not stir till mushrooms begin to release their liquid. When browned, remove from pot + set aside.
3)Â Start your soffrito. Sautee a chopped onion, 1/2 cup of carrot, and 1/2 cup of celery in some olive oil till onions are translucent.
5) Add 1/2 a cup of chopped olives. I like black olives, but you can use green if that’s your preference.
5) Add and brown your soya mince / meat replacement (drained, reserve the liquid if you rehydrated it).
(If you’re using precooked brown lentils, you’ll add them to the pot after sauce in step 8.) .
6) Make your tomato sauce by adding a tin of whole, peeled, tomatoes in their liquid, along with oregano and thyme each (dried or fresh), 1 cup of water and optional chilli. Mash the tomatoes into the side of the pot using your wooden spoon.
7) Add dried lentils. Whole red lentils can be added at this point, as they cook within 15 – 20 minutes. Split red lentils are even better as they cook within 10 minutes. Brown lentils take a bit longer, so for speed it’s better to use tinned brown lentils. Let this lentil and tomato sauce cook by simmering, uncovered, for around 15 – 20 minutes on a medium heat. Stir occasionally. The sauce will reduce to get thick, and the lentils will get soft – that’s when you’re ready!
8) Return mushrooms to pot, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved soya soaking liquid OR a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup of wet/ 1 tablespoon of dry vegan beef / mushroom stock.
9) Heat through and add the drained, cooked, penne pasta to the sauce, coating well
10) Season with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, fresh basil or parsley, taste for salt / black pepper, and nom!
- Penne pasta (2/3rds cup of dried pasta per serving)
- Tomato Olive pasta sauce (Store bought, or see below list for ingredients to make own sauce)
- Vegan mince (or meat replacement of your choosing)
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- Onion
- Nutritional Yeast
- Vegan parmesan
- Flat Italian Parsley for garnish (only fresh will do, replace with fresh basil or or oregano if fresh parsley is not available)
- Plus, for the 30 minute version:
- 1 Cup Olives, chopped (Black or green)
- 1 Cup dried red lentils
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 full teaspoon fresh)
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano (or 1 full teaspoon fresh)
- 1 punnet cremini / baby portabellini mushrooms
- ½ cup cubed celery
- ½ cup cubed/ grated carrot
- Tablespoon of vegan worcester sauce
- 1 cube of vegan beef / mushroom stock
- Teaspoon of chilli if you like it arrabbiata (spicy!)
- ) Put a pot of penne pasta on the boil. Begin rehydrating dried soya mince crumbles in water, Lazenby sauce and vegan beef stock, if using.
- ) Add a punnet of quartered cremini or baby portabello mushrooms to a pot with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Do not stir till mushrooms begin to release their liquid. When browned, remove from pot + set aside.
- )Â Start your soffrito. Sautee a chopped onion, ½ cup of carrot, and ½ cup of celery in some olive oil till onions are translucent.
- ) Add ½ a cup of chopped olives. I like black olives, but you can use green if that's your preference.
- ) Add and brown your soya mince / meat replacement (drained, reserve the liquid if you rehydrated it).
- (If you’re using precooked brown lentils, you’ll add them to the pot after sauce in step 8.) .
- ) Make your tomato sauce by adding a tin of whole, peeled, tomatoes in their liquid, along with oregano and thyme each (dried or fresh), 1 cup of water and optional chilli. Mash the tomatoes into the side of the pot using your wooden spoon.
- ) Add dried lentils. Whole red lentils can be added at this point, as they cook within 15 - 20 minutes. Split red lentils are even better as they cook within 10 minutes. Brown lentils take a bit longer, so for speed it's better to use tinned brown lentils. Let this lentil and tomato sauce cook by simmering, uncovered, for around 15 - 20 minutes on a medium heat. Stir occasionally. The sauce will reduce to get thick, and the lentils will get soft - that's when you're ready!
- ) Return mushrooms to pot, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved soya soaking liquid OR a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and ½ cup of wet/ 1 tablespoon of dry vegan beef / mushroom stock.
- ) Heat through and add the drained, cooked, penne pasta to the sauce, coating well
- ) Season with 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, fresh basil or parsley, taste for salt / black pepper, and nom!
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MORE VEGAN PASTA RECIPES:
Linguine with Porcini Mushrooms, Truffles, Garlic & Parsley {Vegan Recipe}
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