Tempeh and Walnut Bolognese with Spaghetti

Steps

1. Step 1

   Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until fragrant and lightly browned, 4–5 minutes. Tip onto a plate to cool.

   5 min

   • 1/2 cup walnut halves
2. Step 2

   Pulse the cooled walnuts in a food processor to a coarse crumb, about the size of lentils, and set aside. Add the tempeh, broken into chunks, and pulse until it looks like coarse ground meat. (No processor? Chop the walnuts by hand and grate the tempeh on a box grater.)

   5 min

   • 1/2 cup walnut halves
   • 8 oz tempeh
3. Step 3

   Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the crumbled tempeh and walnuts and cook, stirring every minute or so, until well browned, 8–10 minutes. Season with a big pinch of salt.

   10 min

   • 1/2 cup walnut halves
   • 8 oz tempeh
   • 3 tbsp olive oil
   • salt
4. Step 4

   Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring often, until softened and golden at the edges, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

   9 min

   • 1 yellow onion
   • 1 carrot
   • 1 celery stalk
   • 3 cloves garlic
5. Step 5

   Stir in the tomato paste, oregano and fennel seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens to a deep brick red, 2 minutes.

   2 min

   • 3 tbsp tomato paste
   • 1 tsp dried oregano
   • 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
6. Step 6

   Pour in the red wine, scraping the bottom of the pot, and simmer until it has mostly cooked away, 3–4 minutes.

   4 min

   • 3/4 cup dry red wine
7. Step 7

   Add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth and soy sauce. Bring to a bubble, then lower the heat so it barely simmers, partly cover, and cook 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until thick and glossy. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry. Season with salt and pepper.

   45 min, hands-off

   • 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
   • 1 cup vegetable broth
   • 2 tbsp soy sauce
   • salt
   • black pepper
8. Step 8

   While the sauce finishes, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until just al dente, 1 minute less than the package says. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.

   10 min

   • 1 lb spaghetti
9. Step 9

   Add the drained spaghetti to the sauce along with a splash of the pasta water and toss over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, adding more water a little at a time until the sauce coats every strand. Stir in the basil off the heat and serve with Parmesan.

   2 min

   • 1 lb spaghetti
   • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
   • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Where it’s from

Written by AI from an idea

Version 1, saved Oct 5, 2026