Vegan Sausage and Mushroom Ragu
By Kathy_Hester
This is definitely not the ragu from your supermarket shelves! It’s a great way to transition hard-core meat eaters to a meatless meal and makes the perfect topping for grilled polenta. You can just buy a premade tube of polenta and slice it, then crisp it in the oven or on a grill.
Ingredients
- (This recipe uses a 6 quart slow cooker - cut this recipe in half if you are using a 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker.)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium-size onion, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 package (14 ounces, or 392 g) vegan sausage, store-bought or homemade, sliced into rounds
- 2 cans (28 ounces, or 784 g each) crushed tomatoes
- 1 pound (454 g) crimini or button mushrooms, chopped
- 2 large portobello mushrooms, chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) red or port wine
- 2 tablespoons (5 g) chopped fresh basil
Details
Servings 12
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 360mins
Adapted from healthyslowcooking.com
Preparation
Step 1
The night before: Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Transfer to a large airtight container. In the same skillet that you cooked the onions, cook the sausage until brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Break the patties apart with the spatula to make crumbles. Transfer to the same bowl as the onions and store in the fridge.
In the morning: Combine the sautéed onion, sausage, tomatoes, mushrooms, pepper, vinegar, and wine in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. About 10 minutes before serving, add water if needed, extra seasoning, and the basil.
This recipe makes enough to feed a dinner party and still have leftovers, but it freezes well. Freeze in ice cube trays, then once the cubes are frozen solid, pop them out into a resealable plastic bag. This way you can defrost exactly the amount you need, even if you want a single-serving size.
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