Recipe: Vegan Sausage and Swiss Chard Pasta

If you're boyfriend's got beef, tell him I'm a vegan?

I subscribe to Fresh Fork Market's CSA and love the challenge of coming up with new and different ways to use the pounds and pounds of vegetables I get every week. A couple weeks ago, I decided to veganize a recipe for orecchiette and sausage with Swiss chard made famous by Cleveland food icon, Michael Symon. Now, to be honest - I'm not the biggest fan of Michael Symon.Yes, he's put Cleveland on the culinary map, but...it's no secret that he doesn't care for vegans and vegetarians. Which is fine. He doesn't need my money to stay in business. But I thought it would be a fun challenge to make one of the meat king's recipes vegan. And I must say, it worked out really well for me.

Vegan sausage and Swiss chard pasta

Ingredients:  (~4 servings)

• 1/2 box orecchiette pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 package Upton's Italian style seitan sausage (or any other type of vegan sausage)
• 1 large bunch Swiss chard, rough chopped (I also added in spinach and kale - any greens will work)
• at least 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
• 1 can cannellini beans
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons earth balance
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup Vegan parmesan cheese (optional)

Method:

1. Bring pasta to a boil. Cook until al dente. Remove from water using a slotted spoon and set aside. Reserve pasta water to use a little later.
2. Brown the vegan sausage in a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. I generally brown my sausage with a little bit of oil or vegetable stock, but depending on the brand of fake meat you use, you might not need to add anything at this point.
3. Add the Swiss chard and reserved pasta water and cook until it starts to wilt. 
4. Add the can of beans (rinsed!) and pasta and heat until the sauce thickens/burns off a little.Stir frequently to make sure the noodles mix in well with the sauce.
5. Remove pan from heat and stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, vegan butter, and chopped parsley. If you have vegan parmesan cheese, you can add in 1/2 cup of it, or sprinkle it on top of the pasta before serving. (it definitely adds to the flavor)
6. Serve and enjoy!

I really enjoyed this recipe, although I did cook the greens down a little too much. Oops. But the flavors were still good. I also added more beans than the original recipe called for, but I like beans. If you're not as big of a fan of beans, use a half can instead. I'll definitely use more vegan cheese next time, too. It really complements the subtle lemony taste of the noodles and the spiciness of the sausage. 

I love how Meet the Shannons have veganized Betty Crocker's cookbook. Maybe I should try to veganize a Michael Symon cookbook...

Recipe: Quick and Easy Vegan Sausage Pasta

In recent weeks, I've been flexing my culinary muscles more because it's a little challenging to find decent vegan grub in my neck of the woods. Sure, I could eat french fries everywhere I go, but...I've been trying to get back on the running wagon lately, and my body needs good fuel for my workouts.

A couple weeks ago I decided to re-make a recipe I'd tried out earlier this year - Simple Vegan Italian Sausage and Pasta Dinner - from one of my favorite bloggers/cookbook authors - The Shannons. If you're not familiar with Dan and Annie, they're a husband and wife who set out on a culinary adventure to veganize Betty Crocker's cookbook. Which was no easy feat because Betty liked her butter, dairy, and eggs. I own their cookbook - Betty Goes Vegan - and I think it offers up some great recipes for people who miss meals they used to have in their pre-vegan days or for people who are trying to cut back on meat a little and aren't sure where to start.

Vegan Sausage Pasta

I mentioned that this was the second time I made this recipe, right? My first attempt was back in the spring. I followed the recipe to the letter and then realized that I like garlic more than most people and that this concoction needed more flavor. I also used Tofurkey sausage the first time. I love me some Tofurkey sausage, but it just wasn't cutting it in this recipe. This time I used Upton's Naturals Italian Seitan. It's crumbly, and flavorful, and really made this pasta dish turn out better, I think. (although I think anything by Upton's Naturals makes just about any recipe better - all of their products are SO good)

Ingredients:

• Pasta shape/type of your choice (I used leftover farfalle that had been hanging around in my cupboard) - adjust the amount of noodles based on the number of servings you need
• Vegan sausage - crumbles or sausages sliced into coins
• 5 quartered Roma tomatoes
• 1 package sliced portabella mushrooms
• 2 cups raw spinach leaves
• 2+ cloves garlic, minced (I used about 6)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh oregano
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Method:

1. Prepare the pasta following the directions on the box. Set aside once cooked
2. In a skillet/saucepan, heat the oil.
3. Brown sausage in oil - be careful to not overcook.
4. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, wine, and spices. Stir frequently until tomatoes and mushrooms begin to soften.
5. Add spinach and basil and cook until leaves start to wilt. 
6. Slowly add pasta to sausage/tomato/mushroom/spinach mixture and stir to coat noodles with sauce. 
7. Serve and enjoy!

All told, this recipe came together in around a half hour. My boyfriend and I each has pretty substantial portions and he was able to eat the leftovers at lunch for most of the week. (I definitely used too many noodles) I really think the slight tweaks I made to the recipe (mainly adding more of each of the spices) really jazzed it up a bit. I'll definitely be making this recipe again!