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Vegan Walnut Beef Ragu Recipe (Italian Meat Sauce)

This Vegan Walnut Beef Ragu is a rich, hearty Italian meat sauce alternative made with walnuts for a savory, meaty texture!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 servings

Equipment

  • Large Pot
  • Colander
  • Skillet
  • Immersion Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups dry penne pasta
  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 large white onion diced
  • 6 medium garlic cloves minced
  • 1¼ cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp dried basil
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp pink salt add more as needed, to taste
  • 2½ cups firm tomatoes diced
  • 2 medium bay leaves

Instructions
 

Cook the Pasta

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat.
  • Once boiling, add in the pasta. Cook for the time indicated on the pasta package.
  • When the pasta is ready, use a colander to drain out the excess water (reserve a few tablespoons of the water in the pot, so the pasta does not dry out). Set this aside.

Make the Sauce

  • Add the walnuts to a large bowl. Pulse them a few times with the immersion blender, just to break them up into smaller pieces. The size should resemble beef crumbles.
  • Add the oil into a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add in the garlic and onions.
  • Stir for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add in all the remaining ingredients, except the walnuts and bay leaves.
  • Use an immersion blender to blend together the mixture in the skillet, to make it smoother. You can leave behind some chunks if you prefer a chunkier sauce.
  • Once it's blended to the desired consistency, stir in the walnuts and bay leaves.
  • Turn the heat to medium-low and let it simmer, 90% covered, for about 15-20 minutes, until the mixture has thickened.
  • Discard the bay leaves, then stir in the cooked pasta.
  • Remove from the heat. Top with optional fresh basil for garnish, to serve. Enjoy!

Notes