Vegetarian Cacciatore

Here’s how you can make the popular Italian chicken cacciatore recipe – vegan! Try this delicious vegetarian cacciatore that tastes and looks just like the real deal!

Cacciatore actually means “hunter” in Italian and the popular dish with the same name is a stew cooked “hunter-style” with herbs, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, wine and a type of meat.

Cacciatore is traditionally made with chicken or rabbit, but there are other variations to the authentic recipe too, like salamino cacciatore made with salami. Even though this is a meat-based recipe, it doesn’t mean it can’t be easily veganized! 🙂

TSP is pretty amazing if you want to replace meat in different recipes. I used textured soy protein slices to make this vegetarian cacciatore and just look at the photos…you can’t even tell it’s vegan! It looks just like the authentic chicken cacciatore recipe!

To make TSP taste better I let the slices soak in some spiced water + veggie broth mix for an hour, then pan-seared them for a slightly-crispy “skin”.

The rest of the recipe is just like the traditional Italian dish, I used mushrooms, onions, peppers and other veggies, plus some olives and red wine. The sauce is simply bursting with appetizing fragrances and the texture doesn’t disappoint! I bet you could trick an omni to believe this is made with meat. 🙂

Hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know how it turned out! I’m sure you’ll love it! 😀

Vegetarian Cacciatore

Here’s how you can make the popular Italian chicken cacciatore recipe – vegan! Try this delicious vegetarian cacciatore that tastes and looks just like the real deal!

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Rate

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Choose Serving Size 6

Ingredients 

MetricUS (Imperial)

For the “chicken”:

• 3.5 oz textured soy protein slices
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup hot water
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground pepper
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• ¼ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp coriander
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• ⅓ tsp cumin powder

For the cacciatore sauce:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion sliced
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 1 carrot peeled and sliced
• 2 cups mushrooms sliced
• 1 handful pitted kalamata olives
• 1 Tbsp chopped basil leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ cup red wine
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• ½ tsp chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• For the vegan “chicken”:
• In a medium pot, combine hot water with spices and veggie broth. Soak the TSP slices in this liquid for at least an hour.
• In a nonstick pan, over a medium heat, cook the TSP slices on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes each, until lightly golden. Set them aside.
• Make the cacciatore sauce:
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, over medium heat.
• Add the onion and cook it for a few minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for a few more minutes.
• Add the mushrooms, carrots, bell peppers and cook them for about 10 minutes.
• Add the TSP slices, wine, basil leaves, oregano, and olives. Let them simmer for a few minutes. Stir everything to combine and continue cooking. Add crushed tomatoes, chili powder, salt and pepper and stir in the tomato paste. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to incorporate the flavors. Top with some fresh herbs and serve.

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