Meatless Pasta Bolognese…that’s tasty? That’s the challenge that actor, director, and all-around funny man, Joel Murray gave me! Oh, Joel…I so got your number!
Actor/Director Joel Murray and I go back a few years, connected by our love of our hometown Chicago, Second City, Wrigley Field, and the Chicago Cubs. In fact, our ties are tight enough that this meat eater was willing to go meatless…as long as I met the demand: make his favorite meat dish taste as if it had meat. Meatless Pasta Bolognese coming right up! With a little help from Beyond Meat, I was up to the challenge! (And just to be sure that I really wowed his socks off, I also made him meatless meatloaf. Oh yes…I did. Check out that recipe here!)
Join me in my kitchen for a #MeatlessMonday take-over. Joel Murray and I make meatless Pasta Bolognese (thanks Beyond Meat!) while talking sports, his brother Bill, his time with Jon Hamm on Mad Men, his years at Second City Chicago, plus his current work with Whose Live Anyway?
Perhaps most importantly, we also talk cooking and drinking tips. How long should one REALLY cook pasta to get it ‘al dente’? And just what is Fernet Branca?
Listen in to hear classic meat-eater, Joel Murray wander into my meatless kitchen to dish on life, love, comedy, cooking and the Chicago Cubs and the new Murray Bros. Caddyshack Resturant in Chicagoland. Side note: Joel is also the brand ambassador for William Murray Golf Attire. If you check his socials, you know what I mean. He is pretty fly sporting the look!
Seeing is believing, so be sure to check out the video. Not kidding. Joel says, “That [Pasta Bolognese] is very good. That’s great!” He just might be a closet veghead! Full recipe is below and for a quick bite version of the video, check this 90 second clip of Joel and I laughing it up over pasta!
Ingredients:
Beyond Meat Burgers or Beyond Beef – 1 lbs.
Olive oil, enough to lightly coat the pan
Rigatoni – 1 box
3, 8 oz cans to tomatoes
2 teaspoons of tomato paste
1.5 medium onions diced
3 cloves garlic diced
1 large celery stalk
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
Fist of parsley, chopped
Salt/pepper
Garlic powder
Fresh basil
Vegan parmesan cheese (yes, it exists, it’s good, and its also optional)
Directions:
Sautee onions, garlic, celery stalk in olive oil*.
Add in Beyond Burger (or Beyond Beef), mix and simmer.
Add it tomatoes, tomato paste wine, salt/pepper (to taste), garlic powder (to taste). Simmer on low for 20 minutes to let juices infuse.
Add parsley and fennel seeds. Simmer for 10 minutes while separately preparing rigatoni. For al dente pasta, boil for 75% of time noted on the box.
Add pasta to sauce and mix. Serve within 1-2 minutes so as not to over cook pasta OR cook pasta for amount noted on box and do not combine pasta and sauce until ready to serve.
Plate. Add fresh basil and vegan parmesan cheese to taste. (Optional)
*I like mine without carrot…but if you want it sweeter, go with a 1/2 large carrot diced and sauteed, too.
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This video was originally recorded on #JaneUnchained Network News, Jane Velez-Mitchell’s FB Live page and is now out on WGN Radio which airs all of the Awesome Vegans Podcasts! In addition, Elysabeth can be heard periodically on WGN Radio hosting, Nightside.
Thank you to Vegan Magazine and VegFund for supporting this podcast.
