Vegan Ground Beef Recipe with Mushrooms & Lentils
Homemade vegan ground beef made from lentils, minced mushrooms and walnuts, seasoned with smoked paprika, cumin and tamari until it's browned and crumbly. This easy recipe is oil-free, gluten-free and freezer-friendly. Use 1 ½ cups in place of a pound of ground beef in tacos, chili, lasagna or pasta sauce.
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 229kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry beluga lentils
- 1 red onion minced
- 3.5 oz shiitake mushrooms minced
- ¾ cup minced walnuts
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prep: Cook lentils. This can be done up to 5 days in advance. Add the 1 cup dry lentils to a small saucepan with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes for al dente lentils. See notes below for how to cook them in an Instant Pot.
- Prep: Mince onion, mushrooms and walnuts. You can use a food processor or a sharp knife and cutting board.
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Use 1-2 tablespoons water or vegetable broth to sauté onions, mushrooms and walnuts for about 5 minutes, stirring once in a while.
- Turn down the heat to medium-low. Stir in nutritional yeast, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and pepper. Keep mixing until everything is evenly dispersed.
- Whisk together tamari, tomato paste and water. Then, pour it onto vegetable mixture and mix well.
- Stir in lentils and cook, stirring occasionally until crumbly, resembling ground beef. It will take about 10 minutes.
Notes
Lentils: 1 cup dried beluga lentils will yield 2 cups cooked. Substitute with 2 cups cooked brown or green lentils, or even black beans or pinto beans.
To cook lentils on stovetop: Rinse and drain beluga lentils, then place in small saucepan with 3 cups water. Simmer gently, uncovered for 20 minutes until cooked through but still "al dente" and then drain any remaining liquid.
To cook beluga lentils in the Instant Pot: Rinse and drain lentils. Place in Instant Pot with 1 ¾ cup water. Make sure the valve is sealed. Set to high pressure for 6 minutes. Use natural release.
Walnuts: for a nut-free version, use minced pumpkin, sunflower or hemp seeds. You can also use rolled oats pulsed in a food processor for similar texture.
How to store and serve
- Serve: Use in all your homemade recipes that call for ground beef. One and a half cups of vegan ground beef is equal to one pound ground beef that's been cooked.
- Store: Completely cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for 3 months.
- Freeze: flash-freeze it spread out on a tray, then move to an airtight container.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 229kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 214IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 4mg