Spaghetti with Cauliflower & Walnut Bolognese Sauce

This recipe tastes soooo delicious and so similar to the meat version, it’s addictive. This recipe is based on a recipe from The Blendaholic Connoisseures.

Servings 6

Ingredients

3 cups cauliflower florets (about 1 medium crown)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
2 tbsp tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry red wine with added vegetable stock powder or 1 cup vegetable stock
2-3 cans chopped tomatoes or use your own preserved tomatoes
2 tsp dried or 2 tbsp fresh Italian herbs like oregano, thyme, oregano basil and rosemary
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
17 oz/500g dried spaghetti – I use brown rice or wholemeal spelt spaghetti (cook in plenty of water)
Vegan cheese, grated or your home-made vegan cheese (see recipe below!)

Instructions

Begin my making the cauliflower walnut crumbles. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the cauliflower, walnuts, nutritional yeast, tamari sauce, red wine vinegar, into the food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down the insides of the bowl as needed.
Distribute the mixture evenly on the baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until browned around the edges.
While the crumbles bake, coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
Stir in the wine or vegetables broth and bring it to a simmer. Allow it to simmer until reduced by about half, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, herbs and red pepper flakes. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer, uncovered, until it thickens up a bit, about 25 minutes.
While the crumbles bake and the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it according to the package directions. When finished cooking, drain the pasta into a colander and return it to the pot. Toss with a dash of olive oil.
When the sauce finishes simmering, season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cauliflower-walnut crumbles.
Divide the pasta onto plates and top with sauce. If you like you can sprinkle vegan cheese over it (recipe below). Serve immediately.

Note Instead of pasta you could also use spiralized vegetables like courgettes or carrot.

Vegan cheese

You can also use nuts like walnuts or almonds, although I prefer to use cashews because they have a more neutral flavour.