With aromatic tomato vegetable sauce, gremolata & creamy polenta
This vegan Osso Buco proves: You don't need meat for depth, braised flavors, and comfort food.
Portobello mushrooms and eggplant provide a hearty texture, while white wine, herbs, and slow-braised vegetables develop an intense aroma. Served with creamy polenta and fresh lemon gremolata, it creates a true soul food dish.
Ingredients (4 people)
For the vegan Osso Buco
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2 eggplants
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4 large Portobello mushrooms
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4 oxheart tomatoes or large beef tomatoes
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4 purple or regular carrots
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2 celery stalks
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2 leeks
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1 fennel bulb
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3 red onions
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4 cloves garlic
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2 tbsp tomato paste
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250 ml white wine
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500 ml vegetable broth
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1 tsp paprika powder (smoked or sweet)
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1 tsp dried thyme
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1 sprig rosemary
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2 bay leaves
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A dash of balsamic vinegar
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Olive oil
For the Gremolata
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1 bunch parsley
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1–2 cloves garlic
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Zest and juice of 1 organic lemon
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3–4 tbsp olive oil
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1 mild pepperoni or chili
For the Polenta
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250 g instant polenta
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500 ml vegetable broth
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150 ml vegan cooking cream
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4 tbsp vegan butter or margarine
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4–6 tbsp nutritional yeast
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Salt & nutmeg
Preparation
1. Prepare vegetables
Dice onions coarsely, chop garlic.
Dice carrots and fennel.
Slice celery and leek.
Dice tomatoes coarsely.
2. Build the braising base
Heat a Dutch oven, add olive oil.
Sauté onions and garlic until translucent.
Add carrots, fennel, leek, and celery and roast for 5–7 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste and let it caramelize briefly.
Deglaze with white wine and reduce for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, paprika powder, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and balsamic vinegar.
Pour in broth – do not cover completely, it should braise rather than boil.
3. Prepare eggplants & mushrooms
Slice eggplants into 3–4 cm thick pieces, lightly salt them, and let them sit for 10 minutes to draw out water, then pat dry.
Sear them vigorously on both sides in a hot pan or on the grill.
Also grill the Portobello mushrooms with a little oil.
Place both in the Dutch oven.
4. Braise
Braise at 160–180 °C with the lid closed for about 35–45 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the sauce thickens.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove herb sprigs.
5. Prepare gremolata
Finely chop parsley.
Finely dice garlic.
Mix with lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, and finely chopped pepperoni.
6. Cook polenta
Bring vegetable broth to a boil.
Slowly whisk in the polenta.
Stir in butter and cream.
Let it swell for 5 minutes.
Season with nutritional yeast, salt, and nutmeg.
Serving
Place polenta on plates.
Top with braised vegetables and mushrooms.
Garnish with fresh gremolata.
💡Tip
- Tastes even more intense the next day
- Also perfect as a vegetarian feast
- For more umami: add 1 tsp soy sauce to the sauce
Many thanks to tinchens_kitchen for the inspiration and photos!
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