Vegan Ground Beef Recipe with Mushrooms & Lentils
This vegan lentil ground beef recipe is easy to make with whole-food ingredients and is the most delicious vegan ground meat ever. Use this mushroom ground beef recipe as a substitute for hamburger meat in all your favorite recipes. Skip the beef crumbles and use this plant-based alternative that's full of umami flavor with the taste and texture similar to real meat!
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 229kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry beluga lentils
- 1 red onion minced
- 3.5 oz shitake mushrooms minced
- ¾ cup minced walnuts
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoon 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 sauce pan 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 saute 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.
How to store and serve
- Serve: Use in all your homemade recipes that call for ground beef. One and half cups of vegan ground beef is equal to one pound ground beef that's been cooked. See variations below for some great ideas.
- Store: Completely cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for 3 months.
- Freeze: Use freezer safe containers and freeze in smaller portions so you can use in your favorite recipes.
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