A meatless meat sauce using a plant-based italian sausage and a simple marinara? It’s not something I’d think would be amazing. But boy was I surprised!

I fried up a few links of field roast Italian sausage, and ground it down while it cooked with my spoon. Then I thought. I wonder how this would come together as a “meat” sauce?

Wether you use a can of your favorite store bough marinara, or a quick 30 minute marinara this tastes absolutely amazing! I couldn’t even tell what I was eating was 100% plant-based

And I’ll be honest, plant-based “meats” aren’t my go-to. But my wife sometimes just can’t stomach meat. So this is something I have to throw into rotation from time to time to make everyone happy.

I was really pleased with how this meatless meat sauce came out!

I’m including a from scratch marinara recipe for this, but feel free to use your own recipe, or your favorite store bought (mine is RAO’S)

Meatless Meat Sauce

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 157kcal

A plant-based meat sauce that will have you wondering if there really is meat in this sauce! 

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 32 oz crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
• 4 links plant-based italian sausage
• 1/4 cup red wine optional

Instructions

• In a large saucepan, sautee onion and garlic in olive oil until onion becomes translucent, pour in red wine, and crushed tomatoes. Season with crushed red pepper and kosher salt. simmer for about 25-30 minutes. 
• While sauce is simmering, in a separate pan, begin to cook plain-based italian sausage, chopping down with a wooden spoon while it is cooking until you get it to a fine ground meat texture. 
• Mix in plant-based sausage and fresh basil into marinara. Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy!

Nutrition

Sodium: 882mg | Calcium: 87mg | Vitamin C: 23.1mg | Vitamin A: 565IU | Sugar: 10g | Fiber: 4g | Potassium: 712mg | Calories: 157kcal | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fat: 7g | Protein: 4g | Carbohydrates: 19g | Iron: 3.1mg