Spaghetti with Vegan Ragu Recipe
Make this meatless version of one of my favorite simple and satisfying pasta dishes with this recipe for spaghetti with vegan ragu! Tossed with a simple tomato spiced up with tempeh sausage, olives and artichokes.
One of my favorite weekend activities is spending an afternoon in the kitchen, preparing a special Sunday meal while sipping on a bottle of wine. I think I was meant to have been born an Italian grandma!
There’s something so relaxing about preparing a meal that requires a little extra time and attention, whether it’s a whole roasted chicken with vegetables, or a spaghetti sauce that’s been simmering for hours. But as enjoyable as it is, I feel like I rarely get the chance for it, as my Sundays as of late have been dedicated to either catching up on work, or socializing.
This spaghetti with vegan ragu recipe is a weeknight version of one of my favorite weekend dishes. It takes less than 30 minutes of hands on time, but is still packed with flavor from all the yummy spices and herbs. On weekends, I might make a version of this with short ribs, slowly cooked till it’s falling off the bone. To make it weeknight friendly, I use either spicy Italian sausage, or a vegan version by swapping tempeh sausage.
How to Make Spaghetti with Vegan Ragu Recipe
To make this spaghetti with vegan ragu recipe, I used crumbled tempeh and flavored it up with sausage-y spices like fennel, basil, oregano and sage. While I’m not a vegetarian or vegan, I do try to look for ways to cut back on meat when I can, mostly for environmental reasons and a little bit for general health reasons. Remember, intuitive eating isn’t about tossing nutrition out the window - it’s considering nutrition in a gentle way that doesn’t cause feelings of restriction. I get a lot of questions about vegetarian/veganism and intuitive eating, probably because I do post a lot of meatless recipes, so if you’re interested, here’s an article I wrote on whether you’re going meatless for the right reasons.
To make it, start by marinating the tempeh in soy sauce and broth for at least 30 minutes. You can do this the night before to help infuse it with more umami flavor. If you forget though, it’s no big deal and you can skip this step. Your vegan ragu will still have plenty of flavor, and you can always add a splash of soy sauce later in cooking.
Next, start the sauce off with a base of sauteed garlic and onions, then add the crumbled tempeh and spices. Cook until the onions and tempeh are nice and browned to make sure it has rich flavor. Finally, stir in the tomato puree, artichoke hearts and olives, and simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors meld together.
To make this vegan ragu, I used frozen artichokes to add some more veggies to the sauce, and because I love their flavor and texture. I both frozen and canned artichokes work well here, but maybe skip over fresh because cooking with fresh artichokes is a total pain. The first (and only) time I tried to do it, I skipped a few lines in the instructions and missed the whole memo about the “chokes,” these fuzzy, cactus needle-like fibers under the heart. Gonna leave fresh artichokes to the pros.
Cooking with Tempeh
Tempeh is one of my favorite meat substitutes, but I think a lot of people are intimidated about cooking with it. It’s crumbly texture and earthy flavor is perfect for replicating ground meat, so it’s really versatile in dishes like my “chorizo” and potato tacos or vegan taco salad.
Tempeh is a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans, pressed into a cake. Because it’s fermented and made with the whole bean, it has a higher protein, fiber, and vitamin content than tofu. It also has a nice texture to it from the whole soybeans too.
Crumbling it up as a ground meat substitute, like I did in this spaghetti with vegan ragu recipe, is one of my favorite ways to cook with tempeh. You can also cut in into slices or cubes and marinate it before baking or sauteeing. Strips, slices or cubes of tempeh are tasty on sandwiches (especially vegan BLTs!), grain bowls or in stir fries.
Should I Serve White or Whole Wheat Pasta with This Vegan Ragu Recipe
Either white or whole wheat spaghetti will work well for this dish, but I usually use whole wheat spaghetti to serve with this vegan ragu. Whole wheat pasta is made with the whole grain, so it is higher in fiber and nutrients. However, it’s stronger flavor doesn’t go well with all pasta sauces, and will overpower lighter, more delicate ones. So I like to reserve it for more rustic sauces like this one.
Feel free to double up the vegan ragu and freeze the extra. With all those spices and herbs, it’s definitely one of those recipes that tastes better the next day.
This spaghetti with vegan ragu recipe was originally shared March 2015. Images, recipe and text have been updated to give you the best possible content.
If you enjoyed this spaghetti with vegan ragu recipe, follow my favorite vegetarian pasta recipes Pinterest board for more cooking inspiration.
Spaghetti with Tempeh Sausage Marinara and Artichokes
Ingredients
8 ounces tempeh, crumbled
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed
1 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
12 ounce bag frozen artichoke hearts
1 28-ounce cans tomato puree
1/3 cup black olives
8 ounces spaghetti
Chopped fresh parsley and freshly grated parmesan, for serving
Instructions:
Mix crumbled tempeh, soy sauce and broth in a medium bowl. Set aside to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and set aside until ready to use.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 5 minutes until translucent. Stir in drained tempeh, fennel, basil, oregano, sage, garlic powder, and pepper flakes and saute until tempeh and onion are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Stir in artichoke hearts, tomato puree, and olives, scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve with cooked spaghetti, garnished with parsley and parmesan.
If you like this spaghetti with vegan ragu recipe, you might also like:
Vegan Southwestern Tempeh Hash
Chorizo Tempeh and Potato Tacos
Thai Tempeh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
