Best Bolognese Sauce - Traditional or Vegan

This is a family favorite and always a hit for feeding a big crowd. As I teach cooking lessons to a lot of students with various dietary restrictions, I wanted to create a vegan version of my favorite Bolognese sauce. In my humble opinion, the vegan version is just as delicious and has been a big hit in one of my recent vegan cooking classes. 

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb ground meat (beef or pork)
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or more for a little spice)
• 2 tablespoons basil
• 2 tablespoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 onion, diced
• 3-4 oz tomato paste
• about 46 oz of diced tomatoes (or pureed)
• finely chopped vegetables, optional but recommended: 1 cup mushrooms, 1-2 zucchini, 1 bell pepper
• optional: broth or red wine for deglazing

Ingredients for Vegan Bolognese: 
All of the ingredients above, except ground meat. Substitute with: 

• 1/2 cup walnuts chopped finely in food processor
• add an additional cup of mushrooms --> total of 2 cups mushrooms
• 1-2 cups cooked lentils (I prefer brown lentils but any type works)

Instructions:

1. Heat large pot and then add oil.
2. Once oil is hot, saute onions until translucent. Then add spices, salt and garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes but make sure not to burn the garlic!
3. Add any other vegetables that you want to add and saute together until softened.
4. Now add honey and tomato paste and "brown" it with the vegetables for about 3-4 minutes. This will also improve the flavor of the dish instead of adding it later on with the liquids. Don't worry if some of it sticks to the bottom!
5. Deglaze any brown bits on the bottom of the pot with a few splashes of red wine or broth. Just add liquid to pot and scrape up any brown bits. This will add richness and more flavor to your dish. 
6. Depending on how big your pot is, you could try to add the meat and brown it or transfer your vegetables to another dish and then brown your ground meat. (if you are making a vegan version, add your lentils and walnuts instead of the ground meat)
7. Once meat is browned well, add vegetables back to pot and add diced tomatoes. 
8. Cook for at least 1-2 hours on low heat. The longer it cooks, the better it will taste. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Cashew "Parmesan" Cheese:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Instructions: 

1. Place everything in a food processor or blender and process until powdery. If using a blender, make sure not to process too long, otherwise it will become clumpy. 
2. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.