Tempeh Bolognese

I don’t really like all the fabricated soy isolate products that are on the market. I gave those up when I had an epiphany while standing in the frozen food section many years ago trying to find a meat substitute that was under $5. It just occurred to me right then that soybeans were never supposed to look like, taste like or feel like meat. It’s just not going to happen. I pay for all the time and effort that it takes to try to make this little bean into something that it’s never going to be. I walked out without the soy sausage, soy meat crumbles and soy hamburgers and never looked back.

I didn’t find out about tempeh until a few years ago, when I started my candida diet. I ran across some info that said that tofu is hard for the body to digest because it’s not cultured. Natto (yuck!), miso, soy sauce and tempeh were a much better choice. I had heard of the first three, but never knew what tempeh was. So, I went out to get some and immediately liked the new texture and acquired taste. I noticed that in a strange way, when crumbled and browned, it was very similar to ground sausage. Since it can take strong herbs and spices, you can pretty much flavor tempeh any way you like. So it looks like a soybean CAN be a meat substitute without trying too hard!

I would never give up eating tofu, because it does have it’s place. It’s one of the best ways to get creamy textures without dairy. I do eat more cultured soy products though and this is one of the ways I like to serve it.

Tempeh Bolognese

olive oil for sauteeing
1 (8 oz) package tempeh, crumbled
1/2 large white onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 clove garlic
2 fresh large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 package of your favorite gluten free pasta (I used Tinkyada)
salt
pepper

Prepare your pasta according to package instructions.

In a skillet, brown your onion, carrots, celery and tempeh together with the olive oil. Add the garlic and tomatoes. When the tomatoes have broken down and become saucy, add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Serve bolognese on top of pasta or mix pasta and sauce together.

Serves 4