Best vegetarian mince

[Gudinne]

Please tell me what vegetarian mince your family prefers and any that you would avoid. Asking as my family want to reduce the amount of meat we eat. Thanks

Lentils for me too.
I'm yet to find a veg mince that doesn't have the texture of a shredded bath sponge.

Soya mince is great for adding to things but it isn't 'heavy' enough to be satisfying.

I‘m not vegetarian but made lasagne with quorn mince for a visitor alongside one with beef mince. I enjoyed the vegetarian leftovers

None.

I enjoyed the vegetarian leftovers That's good.

I tend not to like comments like 'I like vegetarian food' because it implies that food that is vegetarian is a distinct type of food not food that doesn't happen to have meat or animal product in. Vegetarian mince is that sort of food for me.

I generally like vege sausage though.

Linda McCartney for me. I cook it with a base of mirepoix and add onion gravy. Makes a mean bolognese or cottage pie.

https://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-soy-protein-mince-400g-6100001566

This one, it's dried and lasts ages! Would never buy the frozen, which is basically this rehydrated. Perfect for shepherd's pie, bolognaise etc.

looks like it is out of stock though! this one looks like the same though

www.clearspring.co.uk/products/organic-gluten-free-soya-mince?variant=43594143072447&country=GB&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic

Buy dried soya mince from the World Food aisle in the supermarket.

Just made a vegan one - fry grated carrot with fine diced onion - then grated tempeh with lentils and black beans - then loads of toms, herbs and spices (just realised should have used a bag of frozen suffrito for the first bit. An extra plant point there. I added spinach and frozen peas - had 10 different plants by the end (herbs and spices count) so great for gut biome - not keen on fake meat it’s just another UPF.

I do this too - but use a grater - it’s one of the recipes from Grubby a vegan meal kit that we love.

Blitzed walnut and mushroom. Is the very best. There's an excellent Healthy Living James recipe online, poss on FB

Linda McCartney is my fave. Tried them all !

agree also those sausahe rolls are yum

The LMcC sausages are not great. Vegetarian and vegan sausage rolls are quite poor.

@halfaraft , dried soya mince seems out of stock in a lot of places.

The second link I shared seems to have it in stock: https://www.clearspring.co.uk/products/organic-gluten-free-soya-mince?variant=43594143072447&country=GB&currency=GBP&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic

Another vote for soya mince (TVP) - we are a vegan household and use a lot of it in saucy things like spag bol, lasagna, shepherds pie, Korean/Chinese mince dishes - just chuck it in at the beginning, it just rehydrates in the sauce - so much quicker and cheaper than either real or fake meat ! I often throw in a tin of green lentils too later on for a variation in texture.

no protein!

You mean apart from the protein in the walnuts and mushrooms?

I would just use lentils instead of mixed beans. If your not vegan/vegetarian than you can soak red lentils in beef stock for extra flavour

walnuts have protein though?

I have always used quorn mince, with added red lentils and grated carrot as well as onion. I prefer veggie subs not to taste too meaty (that's why I am vegetarian). Recently tried the ready minced tofu, which also worked well as bolognese.

@halfaraft , yes but not a huge amount. They are high in fat, moderate in protein.

@Hayley1256 , probably best to not mention beef stock on a vegetarian mince thread.

@DrEmilyCrabtree , I find green or brown lentils give a meatier density. The quorn mince tastes quite meaty but lacks the density. I don't want fake meat either.

Yes but the good kind of fat: they also contain omega 3 (brilliant for brain health) and tons of other benefits.

ChatGPT estimates that one portion of the walnut / carrot / mushrooms estimate around 20g of protein. That's aroun half our daily recommended intake of protein.

Assuming you eat another meal to get the rest elsewhere, it's pretty good!

What brand is this? And where would I find it? I grate and bake the grated tofu to get the meaty texture.