One sauce - three dishes

This veggie-full sauce is very versatile and it pairs so well with vegan cheese! Prepare a large batch and enjoy three different meals to change things up! I used it to make stuffed zucchinis, shepherd's pie and a simple pasta and a salad dish! For all three dishes you will need the mushroom sauce and the vegan cheese recipes listed below. 

   

                               

                              Mushroom sauce 

Ingredients (serves 4 x 3 dishes)

- 2 large onions, minced

- 6 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 red (or other color) peppers, finely chopped

- 700g mushrooms, finely chopped

- the flesh of 4 zucchini, finely chopped

- 500 ml tomato sauce

- 150 ml tomato paste

- 1 Tablespoon oregano, or more, to taste

- 1 Tablespoon basil, or more, to taste

- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions with the garlic and peppers for 5 minutes then add in the zucchini and the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, for about 7 minutes or until mushrooms have softened. Add in the tomato sauce and the tomato paste, oregano and basil and simmer for 5 minutes longer, for the sauce to come together. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

                                   Vegan cheese

Ingredients

- 1 cup raw cashews

- 3-4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder

- 1 Tablespoon onion powder

- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and pulse until you reach a fine consistency (do not overblend or the cashews will turn to butter). 

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                             1. Stuffed zucchini

- 4 zucchini, washed, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

- a few Tablespoons mushroom sauce (see recipe above)

- 1.5 - 2 cups marinara sauce (you might need more or less depending on the size of the ovenproof dish you use)

- 4 teaspoons Vegan cheese (see recipe above)

Using a teaspoon, scoop out the flesh of the zucchini and finely chop (use it in the mushroom sauce). Cover the bottom of an ovenproof dish with a thick layer of marinara sauce. Fill the zucchini boats with a generous quantity of mushroom sauce and place on the marinara sauce. Make sure you have enough marinara sauce that it reaches at least halfway up the zucchini sides. Sprinkle  with the vegan cheese. Cover (I strongly recommend investing in an ovenproof dish that comes with it own cover, either ceramic or stainless steel, I don't like to use aluminium) and bake at 375F for about 35 minutes or until the zucchini are fork tender. Remove cover and bake for another 5 minutes or so, until sauce is nice and bubbly. Serve over rice, potatoes or with fresh bread. Enjoy!

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                   2. Pasta with mushroom sauce 

Ingredients (serves 4)
- 400g pasta of your choice
- mushroom sauce
- vegan cheese

Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the packaging, drain and distribute evenly between four plates. Add a good scoop of mushroom sauce topped with vegan cheese. Serve with a green salad and enjoy!

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                                   3. Shepherd's pie 

Ingredients (serves 4)

- 4-6 large potatoes, washed, peeled and diced

- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter (or non-hydrogenated margarine or extra virgin olive oil)

- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

- 2 cups mixed frozen veggies (corn, carrots, green beans, green peas), boiled according to the instructions on the packaging and drained

- mushroom sauce

- 3 Tablespoons vegan cheese

Bring a medium size pot of water to a rolling boil, add in some salt and the potatoes. When it starts to boil again, lower the heat and cook for 5 minutes or until fork tender. Drain completely, add in the vegan butter, season with salt and pepper and mash the potatoes.

Place a layer of mushroom sauce in an ovenproof dish, add the veggies and top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle some vegan cheese and bake at 375F for about 30 minutes or until the edges form a crust. Serve with olives, pickles or hot peppers. Enjoy!