A nutritious ground “beef” substitute made with vegetables, mushrooms, beans, and loads of seasonings to healthify your favorite dish. It’s the perfect blend of substance, texture, nutrition, and flavor. Naturally gluten-free, plant-based, and oil-free!
What exactly is mince? If you aren’t familiar with the term, mince is a combination of plant-based ingredients that mimic the substance of ground beef. It’s obviously not ground beef, doesn’t look like ground beef, and certainly doesn’t taste like it. But it allows you to make recipes that call for ground beef without any of the issues of using or consuming ground beef.
For instance, you want to make your mom’s enchiladas or lasagna, but you don’t want to use ground beef or vegan beef substitutes. And I don’t blame you. I don’t buy them either. But not because I don’t like them. Mostly because commercial mince typically contains more oil and salt than beef.
And because I try to consume healthy plant-based foods as often as possible, I typically don’t purchase them (even though they are remarkable substitutes). So, if you’re like me and want healthier plant-based options that fuel your body, you’ve come to the right place.
This Epic Plant-based Mince is an incredibly versatile recipe. You have several options – you have complete control over the texture, color, and flavor.
For instance, if you follow this recipe and all the steps to the letter, it will produce a delicious plant-based mince. But if you tweak it to your liking, it becomes EPIC. Not convinced? Let me explain.
First, you can make this Epic Plant-based Mince as chunky or smooth as you prefer. The texture depends on how much you pulse it in the food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you will want to mince the pepitas or walnut, mushrooms, and vegetables very fine.
This is why it’s called mince after all. Everything is chopped real fine or minced. But I highly recommend using your food processor with the s blade. It’s super convenient and does all the mincing for you.
If you’re looking for something that truly resembles the texture of ground beef and can consume soy products, TVP is where it’s at. TVP is texturized vegetable protein. And it’s awesome. I use it in a few recipes here and there. It makes a mean taco meat filler.
As for the coloring. You can add more beets to make the mixture more pink. You can also leave the beets out altogether if you don’t have any on hand or prefer not to use them. The color is why I like using kidney beans as well.
And third, you have control over the flavor. I include a standard seasoning blend that I think pairs very nicely with the mushrooms and vegetables. But if you want to keep it plain, by all means, leave it out.
Feel free to increase or adjust the flavors so that it complements what you are making. If you want more smokiness, add a little more liquid smoke. If you prefer more garlic, increase it. If you need more salt, go for it. You want to add, decrease, or omit according to your recipe needs and taste buds.
As for the method, your food processor will do most of the work for you. Though I highly recommend you take your time and do each step separate.
This is solely because the texture and consistency is determined by how much you pulse an ingredient. Heartier ingredients like pepitas or walnuts mince differently than mushrooms. If you were to do these together, you may end up with bigger chunks of pepitas and decimated mushrooms.
The object is to create a uniform texture. It’s also important not to over-process. If you over process (which I tend to do if I’m in a hurry), you will end up with a smoother product.
I think more texture is better. This is why I recommend you use the pulse function. It creates short bursts instead of continuous blending. This allows you to take your time and maintain complete control of the texture of each item.
Once you have minced your veggies and mushrooms, sauté them over low heat until they’re soft and tender. Then add in the other minced ingredients, along with the seasoning blend, and stir well to combine.
I recommend sautéing the mixture for a couple minutes. This releases more of the aromatic flavors and ensures everything is mingled well together.
This is where you have one more option. You can leave this mixture as is with loads of minced texture OR you can pulse it a little more in the food processor, resulting in a more blended mixture. This is completely up to you.
You can use your Epic Plant-based Mince in your favorite recipe or store it for later use. If you’re going to use it later, ensure it cools completely. Then transfer to a air-tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Please note that you must fully thaw this Epic Plant-based Mince before using it in your favorite recipe.
This plant-based mince can be used in most recipes calling for ground beef. As a standard rule, use two cups of plant-based mince per one pound of ground beef.
Now how will your Epic Plant-based Mince? Perhaps I can tempt you with some lasagna, enchiladas, tamales, moussaka… I’m sure you’ll come up with something.
I hope you enjoy this Epic Plant-based Mince as much as I do.
I would love to see your results! Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook! Enjoy!!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup pepitas or walnuts***
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned (preferably dry, not in oil)
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
- 1 cup cooked kidney beans
- ½ cup cooked beet, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste (optional)
Seasonings (Optional):
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce**
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- In a food processor with s blade, pulse the pepitas (or walnuts) and sun-dried tomatoes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Using the shredding attachment, shred the mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the food processor.
- Sauté the mushrooms-onion-carrot-celery-garlic medley in a large skillet over medium-high heat until soft and tender, about 7-10 minutes.
- Back in the food processor, pulse the beet and beans until roughly diced.
- Stir the beet-bean mixture and pulsed pepita-tomato mixture with the sautéed vegetables.
- Add in the optional seasonings, if using. Sauté 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Optional pulse: If you want a more combined consistency, transfer the mince to the food processor once more.
- Pulse until fully incorporated, but with a bit of texture. Do not over-process! (If your food processor is smaller, you may need to work in batches.
- Once cool, transfer to an air-tight container (or two) and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw fully before use.
- This plant-based mince can be used in most recipes calling for ground beef. Use 2 cups of plant-based mince per 1 pound of ground beef.
Notes
* This recipe uses either 1 cup texturized vegetable protein (TVP) or butler soy curls. If you are unable to enjoy soy, substitute with an additional 1 cup cooked/rinsed beans plus 1 cup walnuts – but please omit the broth since the beans do not need to be rehydrated. Pulse in the food processor with the remaining ingredients until a course mixture forms. Do not over-process.
** Lord Sandy’s makes a great vegan Worcestershire sauce.
*** If you need to or want to avoid beans, you can substitute with chopped walnuts.
Epic Plant-based Mince (Healthy Ground “Beef”) (gluten-free; oil-free)
Equipment
- food processor
- stovetop
Ingredients
Mince Ingredients
- 1 cup pepitas or walnuts***
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes julienned (preferably dry, not in oil)
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms
- 1 onion quartered
- 2 carrots
- 1 celery
- 3 cloves of garlic minced (1 Tbsp)
- 1 cup cooked kidney beans
- ½ cup cooked beet sliced
- salt and pepper to taste optional
Seasoning Blend (Optional):
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce**
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp liquid smoke
Instructions
- In a food processor with s blade, pulse the pepitas (or walnuts) and sun-dried tomatoes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Using the shredding attachment, shred the mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic in the food processor.
- Sauté the mushrooms-onion-carrot-celery-garlic medley in a large skillet over medium-high heat until soft and tender, about 7-10 minutes.
- Back in the food processor, pulse the beet and beans until roughly diced. Stir the beet-bean mixture and pulsed pepita-tomato mixture with the sautéed vegetables. Add in the optional seasonings, if using. Sauté 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- If you want a more combined consistency, transfer the mince to the food processor once more. Pulse until fully incorporated, but with a bit of texture. Do not over-process. (If your food processor is smaller, you may need to work in batches.
- Once cool, transfer to an air-tight container (or two) and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw fully before use.
- This plant-based mince can be used in most recipes calling for ground beef. Use 2 cups of plant-based mince per 1 pound of ground beef.
Notes
** Lord Sandy’s makes a great vegan Worcestershire sauce.
*** If you need to or want to avoid beans, you can substitute with chopped walnuts.
This recipe looks amazing, can’t wait to try it!
At which step do I add the TVP or soy curls? Will wheat gluten work as a substitute if I don’t have those ingredients?