Veggie Meat Crumbles – Vegan Ground “Meat”
One of my favourite ways of playing with food is imitating the texture of meat with plants…or what’s commonly known as, veganism.
I adapted this recipe for an all-plant based “hamburger meat” because I thought it would be fun. I still eat ground meat, but I enjoy this new type of “crumbles” that can replace ground meat in Bolognese sauce, lasagne, tacos and my favourite—nachos.
It’s made with the simplest ingredients; there is nothing fancy in it. Some cauliflower, onions, walnuts, mushrooms and a bunch of seasonings are all it takes to put any new vegan in burrito heaven. I used a box grater to grate all of these together.
The spices, herbs and other flavourings are then added, and the mixture is spread onto an oiled baking sheet.
It then roasts in the oven for 1 hour, stirring now and then….
I find that using the box grater gives just the right coarseness. The onions and mushrooms even come out looking like little veiny strands like in actual meat.
When it’s done it turns a rich brown colour. It smells fantastic and right now a bag of nachos would be perfect…
Or a pot of tomato sauce….
This versatile meat crumbles freezes great for up to 3 months and it will keep about 5 days in the fridge. Give it a shot and tell me what you think!
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower
- 20 mushrooms, button or cremini
- 1 medium onion
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- 1-1/2 teaspoons oregano
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (the blended kind used for chili con carne—NOT Indian)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet.
- Using a box grater on the coarsest setting, grate cauliflower, mushrooms and onion into a large bowl. Or, pulse quickly several times in a food processor until desired coarseness is reached.
- Further chop walnuts, if necessary, to match the coarseness of the cauliflower mixture. Add in.
- Using the finest setting on the grater, grate in the garlic.
- Add parsley flakes, oregano, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Add tomato paste, olive oil and soy sauce. Stir until cauliflower mixture is well coated. Spread evenly onto baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes to ensure even cooking. Turn off oven and allow to sit for another 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Crumbles can be used immediately or refrigerated up to 5 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
Great. Now I don’t have to purchase it from the store!
Awesome!
What if you can’t eat mushrooms? I can’t. They make me very sick.
Hi! I have heard that some people have been replacing the mushrooms with cooked brown lentils. If you try this, let me know how it works out! 😀
I made this tonight for my family. It was delicious!!! Thank you for a great recipe.
Thank you! Glad you liked it…funny, I had it too! Happy Cooking ?
This looks great! Can you freeze it and if so what do you do when you want to use if after it has been frozen?
Yes this freezes beautifully. I freeze it in small batches–in bags or containers–and thaw them out as needed. It thaws quickly, and it’s just as good as when it’s fresh 🙂
I did the same thing.
Yay! This looks delicious. Going to make some and make some vegan lasagna for my sister and I. I’m vegetarian and she still eats meat, but has to be soy and dairy free. Think this will be a win-win for us!
Perfect!
Do I have to add the spices? I am worried that the spices in this recipe might counter act with other spices with other recipes and may make the dish not taste so good.
In that case, I would leave out the spices also. If you are going to use it as is, however, I would not alter the recipe as it would be pretty bland.
Great recipe. Thank you so much.
This dish has great potential but the 1 teaspoon of chili powder was overwhelming and made it inedible. I used Indian chili powder but I think what should have been used was a blend to make chili. This should have been better specified in the recipe.However, the texture, color and other flavors were amazing – will make again tomorrow.
Thank you so much for letting me know…YES it was supposed to be the blend typically used for chili con carne…I will specify that in the recipe. I hope the next batch is better and that you can somehow salvage the old one.
Hi thanks for the recipe I’d like to try it. Do you think it could be made ok without the oil added?
I’ll check out your other videos on youtube too, thank you!
Hello! I have never omitted the oil, but I am sure leaving it out wouldn’t be a big deal if oil is an issue. If you do try, let me know how it works out for you!😀
Made this today (1-2-19) Turned out great, I just tweeted the measurements for the spices as the cauliflower I used was around 3-3 1/2 lbs in size. Once I finished the cooking process, stirring every 20 minutes, I ended up with
5 1/2 lbs and 5 servings. 4 in the freezer for later use.
Thanks for the video…as that’s why I jumped in feet first to make it.
Hi! Thanks for trying! Happy it turned out for you, yes I freeze it all the time and it’s good as new. Happy cooking!
If you don’t have chili blend chili powder how much chili powder or paste would you use?
If your chili powder is not too hot, use the same amount. Otherwise, half to three quarters of the amount. I would use slightly more paste, maybe twice the amount, as long as it’S not too hot. I hope this helps! 🙂
I was tasked with making a vegetarian chili, and so I was thrilled to find and try out your recipe. It produced a different but very satisfactory result; the spices you recommended complemented the chili recipe beautifully, and I really like the texture. I made a double batch of the crumbles, but for the chili I ended up using less than half of what I made (in my 20 qt stock pot). I don’t mind having the leftovers for other recipes. Thank you!
Hi! That’s great!! I always have leftovers and they freeze really well, up to 3 months. If you mix the crumbles with cooked lentils (ratio your choice), it makes a great Shepherds Pie base. Thank you for your nice feedback!
Can I make this without the spices and add the spices I want when Iam making different recipes?
That’s such a great idea—yes you can! 😀👍
People who want to eat soy free should realise that soy sauce is made from soy.
I saw the comment about substituting lentils for the mushrooms, what measurement of cooked/uncooked lentils did they use? I’m not a mushroom fan.
Thanks so much!
I am not sure because I have not done it, but I would replace with about 1-1/2 cups COOKED brown lentils—or any lentil that holds its shape well when cooked. I hope this helps! 🙂
Have you used this to make veggie burgers?
I have not, but I am sure a binder of mashed beans or lentils with a few rolled oats and a little tapioca starch would hold this together nicely for a veggie patty 🙂
Thanks for the response. I’ll try a few different things and update my results.
This recipe was close to being one of the many I never get around to trying. You get caught up, you forget. Lucky me for taking the time to try it! Great taste and texture. I’ll surely try with noodles and a marinara sauce to start. Merci beaucoup from North Bay Ontario. This recipe is a keeper!
Hi there! Thank you very much! I am so glad you ended up liking the recipe. You will enjoy it as a substitute meat sauce for noodles. Please keep me posted if you make more of my recipes. From southwestern Ontario—Happy Cooking!
This ground meat replacement is amazing in a “manwich” style recipe. I’ve used it also for both tacos and nachos. The spice profile works especially well for these recipe applications. Big thumbs up!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for the kind comment and Happy Cooking!
Is there a substitute for the walnuts? I can eat nuts just not walnuts
Yes, you can use any other neutral flavoured nuts…cashews are probably best. Otherwise you can use cooked green lentils, or any lentil that holds its shape well when cooked. I hope this helps 🙂
My oven does not have a roast setting. Should I use bake or broil for the veggie ground beef. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I cannot wait to try it
Hi! Definitely use bake setting on your oven and they will turn out great. Enjoy 🙂
I tried your recipe, and it was awesome. I lost it and tried another, and yours was far superior.
I am glad I found you again. Follow all the steps, and it will be delicious. I recommend using the box grater for a better crumb.
I am so happy to hear this! I always try to create recipes that use the simplest, most attainable ingredients. Thank you so much for your kind comment and please check out more recipes. You might also enjoy my veggie burger recipe on this site 🙂
My husband cannot eat cauliflower. Is there a suitable substitute?
You might want to try some cooked lentils that don’t get mushy. Another substitute can be cooked quinoa or rolled oats (raw). I hope this helps : )
I love this! This is my go to recipe for delicious healthy veggie meat.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for the nice comment and Happy Cooking!