Soy ragù is an excellent substitute for meat ragù for those following a meat-free diet by choice, such as vegans, for health reasons, or to try a new sauce for a tasty first course. It’s great as a sauce for pasta, gnocchi, or to create fantastic lasagna — using a plant-based béchamel without butter will give you dishes suitable for a vegan diet. This ragù has nothing to envy to the traditional meat ragù; in fact it’s lighter and very tasty, since the soy granules absorb a lot of the flavors from the aromatics and the tomato. It’s prepared like a traditional ragù by adding aromatic herbs and vegetables and it cooks in about half an hour plus the time to rehydrate the soy. Now let’s see how to prepare the Soy ragù and if you try it let me know. Barbara
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 5 oz soy flakes
- 1 carrot
- 2 oz onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 14 oz peeled tomatoes (or tomato purée)
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 sprig rosemary
- leaves sage
- leaves basil
- leaves bay leaves
- to taste oregano
- to taste chili pepper
- 1/2 cup white wine
How to make Soy ragù
To prepare the Soy ragù, first rehydrate the soy flakes in salted boiling water for 10 minutes. After rehydration, drain them and squeeze them well to remove all the absorbed water.
Clean the carrot, onion and celery stalks, then chop the carrot, celery and onion into small pieces.
In the meantime, in a large pot pour 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and add the chopped carrot, onion and celery.
Also add a few leaves of sage, basil and bay, let them release their aroma for a couple of minutes, then add the previously hydrated soy flakes. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of white wine and let it evaporate for 5 minutes. When the wine has evaporated, add the peeled tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for another 20 minutes; if it becomes too dry, add some water or, even better, vegetable broth.
The soy ragù is now ready to be used, or you can freeze it in bags already portioned for later use.
How to store the Soy ragù
Store it in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. You can also freeze it for several months.
