Vegan Mince [Video+Recipe] Pastelones and Empanadas Filling

So many of our pastelones and picaderas can be adapted to a vegan version by just changing the filling. And now we have a tried and tested meatless mince that our vegan readers will love.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Party

Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword best vegan mince, vegan ground beef, vegan ground meat, vegetarian ground beef substitute

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 297kcal

Author Clara Gonzalez

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion minced
4 large portobello mushroom caps (or 8 porcini), minced
1 red bell pepper minced
½ cup dry lentils [120 g] brown lentils, raw, rinsed
1 teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)
½ teaspoon dry thyme leaves
½ teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
1 teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1 cup tomato sauce
1½ tablespoon soy sauce
¼ cup minced curly parsley

Instructions

1. Sauteing onion

Heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until it has turned translucent.

2. Sauteing vegetables

Stir in the lentils. Stir. Add freshly-cracked black pepper, thyme, oregano, and a pinch of salt. Cook stirring until everything is heated through.
Add the mushrooms, and stir to mix. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir.

3. Simmering

Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the lentils are soft but still whole.
During this time, stir it every ten minutes to cook uniformly.
The vegetables will keep releasing liquid, which is what the lentils will cook in. If it ever dries too much, add a couple of tablespoons of water to prevent it from scorching.

4. Seasoning

Add soy sauce and stir. Taste and add more salt if you find it necessary (I did).
Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.

5. Serving

Serve as a standalone vegan main dish, or use to stuff pastelones, picaderas, or empanadas.

Video

Nutrition