What would I change out if I can’t eat meat? I love mushrooms, is that enough on its own?
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BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 1 day agoIt’s not even good sauce. Pour a couple of big cans of crushed tomatoes over some browned ground beef/pork, add lots of garlic and Italian herbs, salt & pepper, a few oz of red wine, and let it simmer all day.
Add more or less meat, perhaps mushrooms. I like to put in chopped spinach at the beginning, to let it break up into micro pieces, and amp up the nutritional value, but it’s not necessary.
It’s super easy, and way better than any jarred sauce, and much cheaper.
Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
wieson@feddit.org 1 day ago
Red lentils
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 1 day ago
Oh, sure, you don’t need meat at all, I sometimes just make a hearty mushroom sauce, and it’s great.
Put whatever you want in it, there are no rules. Yellow/orange/red peppers are nice. I hate green peppers, and onions, but if you like them, go nuts, just don’t invite me for dinner.
Some people put lots of veggies in, but they puree them first, so they dissolve better (and the kids will eat it without knowing, too, I suppose).
Experimenting is half the fun of cooking. The other half is eating it.
Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Without the meat should I just start with the crushed tomatoes and go from there?
I like the idea of experimenting, another commenter mentioned using different types of mushrooms together as well.
I guess I never really knew the simple part of how to start a sauce so thats why I’m trying to learn more here.
Thank you for the advice I’m saving most of these comments.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 22 hours ago
Again, no rules, use what you like.
I went through a period of using ground chicken or turkey, and I used ground beef for a long time. Now I use a combo of ground beef and pork. Ground beef is expensive, of course, but I get the ground pork in a 1 lb roll from Aldi, and it’s usually less than $3. So the pork really fills out the meat portion, and adds a lot of flavor.
Seasoning is important, and chefs talk about three levels of seasoning. First you season the olive oil in the pot as it heats up before before you toss in the meat. Then season the meat as it browns, then season it again when you add the crushed tomatoes.
You will have to balance the seasoning a bunch of times after that, until it tastes right. If you feel like you’re close to right, but you can’t put a finger on it, you probably need to add more salt, or more garlic powder. Add in small amounts until it tastes right, and don’t judge it right after you add them. Wait a few minutes for it to cook in, and then re-taste and evaluate.
If you like a spicy or Arrabiata sauce, add lots of red pepper flakes and cayenne.
Hazor@lemmy.world 23 hours ago
I find kidney or garbanzo beans a good substitute.
Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 21 hours ago
Interesting! I am a huge fan of beans so I’ll have to give that a shot.
jellygoose@lemmy.ca 1 day ago
Consider meat alternatives. You can even get away with tofu. Anything goes, it’s a sauce…
smh@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
I’m a big fan of textured vegetable protein (TVP). It gives a ground beef texture but is vegetarian and shelf stable. It looks expensive per pound, but it’s dehydrated so you’re not paying for water.
Roucan@lemmy.zip 1 day ago
Yeah yo for sure can, though you probably don’t need to simmer for as long with everything combined if it’s just mushrooms.
I would do a variety for a bigger range of umami flavour, (et 3:1 cremini:shitake), then add a bit of msg, it’ll hit hard. MSG optional but it’ll hit hard.
I think you can also fake mallard reaction (browning meat) but I don’t know how bc I’m not vegan.
Worcestershire also could help, but idk if it’s vegan
Rekorse@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Thanks for the idea I’ll save this and try it out soon.
There is vegan Worcestershire sauce but I dont believe the original recipe is vegan.
smh@slrpnk.net 1 day ago
Original recipe has fish in it (sardines iirc), so might be ok for pescetarians.
Treczoks@lemmy.world 1 hour ago
Well, jar sauces are rarely good. But an expensive one being substandard (as it seems to be the case here) is particularly bad.
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 40 minutes ago
I find they can make a decent base for customization, but on their own, they’re usually lacking something, like flavor.