Check ingredients Prepare the lentils by adding together with vegetable stock into a pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
Once boiling, decrease the heat to medium and cook until tender (~25-35 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Preheat a large pan. Once hot, decrease heat to medium. Add oil and onion. Cook until onion is translucent.
Add garlic, sage, basil and oregano. Cook for 1 minute.
Add vegan butter and flour. Cook down until you no longer see white flour streaks.
Add soy milk, water, tomato paste and water. Mix until homogenous.
Season with salt, pepper and chili flakes (if using) and simmer until the sauce is thick and coats your spatula.
In the meantime, cook pasta according the instructions on the packaging. Drain.
Mix together rosé sauce, cooked pasta, chopped sundried tomatoes and cooked lentils. Enjoy warm.
You can use smoked tofu, vegan sausage, vegan bacon, or tempeh bacon instead of the lentils. In that case, you can either chop or crumble them up into the sauce at step 9 or sauté them for a couple minutes until slightly cooked and caramelized.
I know a lot of us are stuck at home right now due to the Coronavirus. And… Many of us also have our reserves of pasta and tomato sauce.
So… I thought I would share with you a recipe that I have been absolutely loving: this Chunky Vegan Rosé Pasta. It is nut and dairy free, requires only pantry staples (no fancy ingredients here!) and can be ready in under 30 minutes. PLUS – like many of my favorite recipes, this one is highly customizable!
The first time I made this recipe, I kind of just winged it. I did not measure anything and just followed my instincts with the ingredients to use and the measurements. It turned out so good that my boyfriend and I basically ate the entire 4 servings in one dinner – lol!
The second time I made it, I decided to make sure I wrote down all the ingredients and measurements so that I would share this recipe that I absolutely love with you guys.
I mentioned this recipe is highly customizable, let me explain why and how. First of all, the pasta kind. I personally love rotini anytime I make a chunkier pasta sauce so that all the delicious bits and pieces get stuck in it. But of course, the type of pasta is not all that important. You can literally use any pasta that you have at home: any shape, any kind (whole wheat-based, white flour-based, gluten free-based, lentil flour-based…).
Second, the spices. I used a combination of 1 teaspoon of dried sage, 1 teaspoon of dried basil and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. However, if you don’t have any of those, just double the one that you have. Or, if you happen to have an Italian spice mix, simply use 3 teaspoons of that instead of each of the individual spices. It will do.
Third, the dairy free milk. I personally love soy for this recipe because it is rich, thicker than other store-bought nut based milks and has more substance to it (8 grams of protein per cup). However, if you don’t drink soy milk or don’t have it at home. Just use your favorited kind of plant-based milk, just make sure that it is unsweetened. I think almond, cashew, hemp, or oat milk would work just fine here. Please avoid coconut milk.
Last but not least, the protein. In this recipe, I used brown lentils that I cooked in veggie stock. However, you can seriously just swap out the lentils with your favorite flavoured plant based protein. We are talking, chopped smoked tofu, crumbled vegan sausage, vegan bacon bits, crumbled tempeh bacon etc. The important thing is that your protein source has some flavour to it. Stay away from bland tofu as it will dilute the overall flavour of your Chunky Vegan Rosé Pasta.
On that note you guys, I hope you give this recipe a try. I think it is a great one for the times we are going through right now. It is highly customizable, requires pantry staples ingredients and is easy and quick to whip up!
If you do end up trying this recipe, just make sure to share your thoughts about it on IG and tag me (@muriellebanackissa).
I hope you guys are staying safe and healthy!
Have a lovely week!
