Lentils and mushrooms are simmered up with macaroni pasta and smoky, savory tomato sauce to make this easy and comforting vegan American goulash.
This is another one that was requested on my Facebook page. Installment number 2, following last week’s biscuits & gravy. I totally plan to keep this up too — you guys gave me lots of great ideas.
This is actually another one that I’d been considering making. Back in January I made a more Hungarian-inspired vegan goulash with eggplant. Before that I didn’t even realize that there were multiple types of goulash.
So I did a little research on American goulash, and you know what? It’s a really weird dish. Most of the recipes for conventional, meat-based American goulash call for ingredients that I’d never really expect to go together. Pasta, tomatoes, and meat. Okay. But most of them also called for soy sauce, Italian seasoning and paprika. So basically this one is a big cultural mish-mosh. I guess that actually makes sense when I think about it.
Another thing about regular American goulash: it’s a one-pot pasta recipe. I thought Martha Stewart just came up with that concept in recent years, but apparently people’s grandma’s have been doing it forever.
My vegan American goulash, I’m sorry to say, doesn’t quite work as a one-pot dish, at least not the way I cook it. I used lentils and mushrooms in place of meat, and something I discovered while developing recipes for this blog is that cooking brown lentils and tomatoes in the same pot just doesn’t work, unless you don’t mind letting the lentils simmer for an eternity, which would kind of defeat the whole quick and easy purpose of making a one-pot dish.
What you can do is use canned or leftover lentils if they’re available. I almost always end up with leftover lentils when I cook them. The solution: cook a giant batch and freeze the extras. Then you’ll be all set to cook up this super easy and delicious vegan American goulash in one pot when the mood strikes.
Vegan American Goulash
Lentils and mushrooms are simmered up with macaroni pasta and smoky, savory tomato sauce to make this easy and comforting vegan American goulash.
- 3/4 cup dried brown lentils
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 ounces cremini mushrooms, (cleaned and coarsely chopped)
- 1 onion, (diced)
- 1 red bell pepper, (diced)
- 3 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspooon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked papkria ((can sub more sweet paprika))
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni pasta
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
For Serving
- Unflavored vegan yogurt or cashew cream
- Fresh parsley
-
Place the lentils into a small saucepan and cover with a couple of inches of water. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Allow to cook until the lentils are tender, about 30-35 minutes. Drain any excess water.
-
While the lentils cook, coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the onion and sauté for about 5 minutes more, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the bell pepper and garlic, and continue to sauté until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
-
Stir in the broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, soy sauce, bay leaves, and pasta. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer until the pasta is cooked, about 20 minutes.
-
Stir in the lentils and tomato paste and allow to cook for about 2 more minutes, just to heat everything throughout and thicken the sauce.
-
Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Serve with vegan yogurt, cashew cream, and/or fresh parsley.
The post Vegan American Goulash appeared first on Connoisseurus Veg.