Healthy Pasta with Tempeh Bolognese

This quick and easy Tempeh Bolognese sauce is made with crumbled Tempeh. That’s why you need almost nothing – except tempeh, tomato sauce, and your favorite pasta. In less than 30 minutes, you can make a tasty, healthy and vegan sauce that’s even full of vegetable proteins. And if you choose Edamame or other legume pasta, it’s a real post-workout meal – or a perfect and quick dinner.

When the days get colder, the meals get warmer 🙂 At least that’s the way it is with me. With a Pasta Bolognese we can’t do anything wrong, can we? Because of my great love for tempeh, I prefer to do my Bolognese with tempeh instead of lentils or the like, which is a standard plant-based dish.

If you have never tested this before, I would like to invite you to do it as soon as possible! I have served the Tempeh Bolognese pasta to many “all-eaters” and no one has noticed the difference.

HEY, Nutrition Baby, WHAT IS THAT WITH TEMPEH?
Glad you asked!

Tempeh is a traditional fermented soy food from Indonesia. It is fermented with the form Rhizopus oligosporus in a cheese-like process in which the soybeans are pressed together into a block. The fermentation process makes it easier for our digestion, and nutrients such as zinc, calcium, and iron are more bioavailable than in non-fermented soy products such as tofu.

Tempeh is a great source of vegetable protein. Also cool is – that the soybeans in Tempeh are still in their whole form. This means that all the important fiber is still inside.

I’ll make this easy to understand comparison: soy is white bread, tempeh is wholemeal bread.

Let’s get that Tempeh (and eat it hehe)

You can usually buy Tempeh as a block at the organic food store, online* or in the Asia market.  You can cut the blocks into slices, cubes or other shapes. Or you can simply crumble it, as in this recipe. Crumbled it tastes like here in sauces, as vegan chopped balls or as vegan egg. You can fry,  cook, bake and stew your tempeh.

How do I like my tempeh best?

RAW. Sounds funny, but tastes awesome – #weirdsnackhabits. I marinate my Tempeh with fresh ginger and cocosaminos* and nutritional yeast*. There are many sources on the Internet that say we can’t eat every tempeh raw.  I get my tempeh mostly from Ministry of Cultures.

However, I have spoken to many tempeh manufacturers who have assured me that we can actually eat any tempeh raw. And that’s exactly what I do. If you don’t feel safe here, or if you have a sensitive stomach, you can cook it beforehand.

My tempeh has black spots, is it bad?

One more thing before we focus on the tasty Tempeh Bolognese, Tempeh with grey spots is totally fine! It’s not a sign of mold. A pink or yellow discoloration is NOT okay. This means that the Tempeh is excessively fermented and therefore bad.

Pasta with Tempeh Bolognese

 

Author: Annelina Waller

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  15 mins

Total time:  20 mins

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Ingredients

• 200 g Edamame, or other noodles
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 200 g Tempeh
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• 400 g canned chunky tomatoes
• 2 tsp coconut sugar
• pepper, salt to taste
• 2 tsp sweet balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Steam onions for 3 minutes, then deglaze with apple vinegar.
2. Add coconut sugar and crumble Tempeh. Steam for 1 more minute until translucent, the onions begin to caramelise slightly.
3. Then deglaze with tomato sauce.
4. Add a teaspoon of sweet balsamic vinegar and stir again.
5. Season with pepper and salt and serve hot on the pasta.

3.5.3251

Did you try this Tempeh Bolognese?

If you like, link me @annelinawaller to Instagram and use the hashtag #annelinawaller.