Meatless Sausage Mushroom Ragu
This is definitely not the ragu from your supermarket shelves! It's a great meal to transition hard core meat eaters into a meatless night. And, of course, serve to all your omnivore friends. (I define omnivore as a person who eats tofu and meat.)
This is definitely not the ragu from your supermarket shelves! It's a great meal to transition hard core meat eaters into a meatless night. And, of course, serve to all your omnivore friends. (I define omnivore as a person who eats tofu and meat.)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 14 ounces vegan sausage rounds
- 56 ounces tomatoes crushed
- 1 pound crimini mushrooms chopped
- 2 large portabella mushrooms chopped
- 3 tablespoons port wine
- 2 tablespoons basil fresh chopped
- Carbohydrate 15.8955867527583 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.21915810680363 g
- Fiber 4.43535399443933 g
- Protein 5.56940463935882 g
- Saturated Fat 0.166656240117442 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (451g)
- Sodium 20.2112054778216 mg
- Sugar 11.460232758319 g
- Trans Fat 0.313168875794464 g
- Calories 90 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
- Add onions and sauté until translucent.
- In the same skillet that you cooked the onions, now cook the package of Gimme Lean.
- Chop it with a large spatula as you cook to break it up into sausage crumbles.
- It will be fairly sticky until it browns.
- It’s less mess to slice it into patties first and break apart after you flip them.
- Combine all the ingredients (except for wine) in your slow cooker and cook all day on low.
- Add water if it needs it, extra seasoning and the wine about 10 – 15 minutes before serving.
Limited pantry budgets demand hard-working ingredients that deliver deep savory notes without relying on expensive cuts of meat. Crimini and portabella mushrooms supply that necessary umami backbone, mimicking the dense, meaty chew of traditional braises when chopped finely. Browning the vegan sausage beforehand is non-negotiable; slicing the log into patties first prevents the sticky mixture from clumping into a singular mass in the skillet. Sautéing onions in just one teaspoon of olive oil requires keeping the heat at medium to prevent scorching while drawing out natural sugars.
Scaling and Adapting the Batch
Multiplying this recipe for larger gatherings requires careful attention to slow cooker capacity. Doubling the crushed tomatoes past a six-quart threshold risks overflowing the appliance during a long simmer. Halving the quantities works well in a three-quart cooker, though evaporation happens faster; monitor moisture levels closely at the four-hour mark. Port wine adds acidity at the finish, but dry red table wine substitutes at a strict one-to-one ratio without altering the final viscosity.
- Add splashes of warm water gradually if the sauce thickens too rapidly during the daytime simmer.
- Stir finely chopped fresh basil into the pot strictly during the final ten minutes to preserve volatile aromatic oils.
- Store leftovers in airtight glass containers for up to four days in the refrigerator.
