Vegan Hearty Pasta

Have you ever had a craving for a plate full of meaty, tomato-y pasta-y, hearty goodness? HECK yeah! The one problem- those darn cows and their big cute eyes! Problem solved (read below). This recipe will knock your socks off- literally. You will want to “veg out” on the sofa, lifeless -in a food coma after this one! This is also very fun to tinker with. You can add more liquid, put it in a baking dish and cook for an hour- it’ll be a great “pasta bake” that your family and friends will lust after. Have fun!

Vegan Hearty Pasta

1 box Lundberg brown rice pasta

3 roma tomatoes (or medium sized of your choice)

1 can stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 medium red onion- finely chopped

2 tbs minced garlic

3 tbs Italian Seasoning

3 small basil leaves chopped

1 ½ cups red wine

½ cup sugar

1 package vegan ground beef

1 red bell pepper (large and chopped)

4 tbs olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan, add the olive oil, onions, garlic and cook on a medium-low heat about 5 minutes. Add salt (a pinch) and cook for another minute. Add the fresh tomatoes, basil and Italian seasoning- cook for about 5 minutes. When the tomatoes have cooked down- add the vegan ground beef and incorporate well. When the “beef” is thoroughly mixed in, add all of the remaining ingredients except sugar. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, mix well and let simmer.

Prepare the pasta as instructed. When pasta is VERY al-dente drain and add to pasta sauce. Let cook for another 10 minutes.

Its ready to serve! I serve mine with a spinach salad, garlic bread and Czechvar! Yummo