This Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce is a dish I used to make quite frequently prior to becoming a vegetarian. The original recipe had sweet Italian sausage in it and I now use a vegan version by Lightlife! called Gimme Lean ground beef-style product. This is (to my knowledge) one of the only companies producing that “ground-style” replacement. I use this to make my own meatballs, patties, etc. You could certainly use any brand of vegan ground crumbles in this dish, but I love that in breaking this up while sauteeing, you get some bigger pieces, some smaller…just as you would with the original thing. And, you can add your own seasonings.

That being said, while Gimme Lean is seasoned, we want to add more of our own flavors. Red Wine Vinegar, Garlic, Fennel Seeds, Salt, Pepper, Paprika and Oregano give us more of that “sausage” taste with this soy-based product.

We enhance the sauce with caramelized onions, a splash of vegan white wine, diced tomatos (liquid included), SO Delicious Almond Milk Creamer and a dollop of vegan sour cream which help make this a rich pink sauce. The secret to this dish is in the building of flavor. From the sauteed onions, to the reduction of the white wine, slow simmering the tomatos and finally, reducing down the sauce even further after the creamer and sour cream are added. It becomes a rich, sweet, savory, yummy sauce. I’ve made this recipe so many times, I feel like I just might be at “expert-status” on this one. It has definitely been tested time and time again 🙂

The sauce is rich and thick and creamy. I like to make just enough to dress the pasta, but if you prefer more, you could always double the recipe. Serve with any crusty Italian bread and a sprinkle of Vegan Grated Parmesan Cheese. Garnish with fresh parsley. There is a time and a place for dried parsley. This isn’t it 🙂

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