Tempeh Bolognese Sauce with Gnocchi - Vegan Family Recipes (2024)

This sauce is my go-to tomato based pasta sauce for my kids. It's a chunky tomato sauce with vegetables and protein packed tempeh. The trick is to dice the vegetables as small as you can to prevent kids from picking them out. The tempeh is crumbled into the sauce for the same reason plus this way it better resembles a traditional bolognese.

One of the main reasons I've been making this tempeh bolognese a lot is for my now 9 month old son. Wow, 9 months! I can't believe how big he has gotten! When I first started this blog he had just turned 4 months old. Now he's crawling and cruising along furniture. Oh how...wait where was I?

Right, I make this sauce a lot now because it is perfect for the entire family. If I hold off on adding salt and pepper, I can easily puree this sauce with a few whole wheat or spelt noodles for a wholesome baby meal. It's always nice if I don't have to cook two separate meals, one for #2 and one for the rest of the family. If there is any leftover sauce, I puree the rest and freeze it in an ice cube tray. This way I can defrost small portion sizes for #2 to eat on a later day.

Hubbs and #1 really enjoy this sauce and by the amount that they eat of it, I'm sure they get their vegetable and protein requirements covered.

Now let's get to it!

Tempeh Bolognese Sauce with Gnocci

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 small Yellow Onion (diced)
• 4 ounces Tempeh (crumbled)
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• 1 small Green Bell Pepper (finely diced)
• 2 Carrots (finely diced)
• 2 cups Tomato Puree
• 3 tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried Thyme
• 1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
• fresh Basil (optional)
• Salt and Pepper
• Gnocchi or Pasta of choice (4 servings)

Directions:

Notes: 1) Tempeh absorbs a lot of oil very quickly. Therefore feel free to add a bit more while sauteing. Alternatively you can use a bit of water. 2) I like a thick and chunky sauce. You can omit the tomato paste for a thinner sauce. 3) This sauce uses dried herbs, mainly just for convenience reasons, however if available I encourage you to always use fresh herbs.

What makes it so good?

Tempeh:

• One of the greatest plant-based sources of protein and is an excellent source of fiber (compared to tofu which has none!) See Chart below:

• www.seasonyourhealth.com

  • Excellent source of Manganese, Phosphorus, Copper and great source of Iron, Niacin, and Potassium.
  • low in saturated fat

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