Back to basics #2 – Veggie bolognese

Hey there!

Who doesn’t love pasta? Who doesn’t love pasta with a rich Bolognese? Who hasn’t tried tons of veggie Bolognese recipes just to be incredibly disappointed afterwards?

My answers to those questions are definitely, I do, I do, and I have.

I’m the biggest pasta lover on earth, there’s nothing over a delicious bowl of pasta, it’s the best! But what really makes a bowl of pasta taste amazing is the sauce that comes with it. I love pesto, I love plain tomato sauce, yet what I always liked the most was my dad’s Ragù. However, then I somehow stopped eating meat, hence I haven’t had that sauce in over two years. During those two years I’ve been trying over and over again to create the perfect veggie Bolognese. Yet, it’s been only just a few weeks ago when I finally came up with a variation that tastes pretty similar to my dads and absolutely delicious. Of course, it doesn’t taste exactly the same, yet it does taste amazing. And to be honest, I think it doesn’t really make sense to try to imitate meat. I personally just don’t like using products, such as vegetarian mince and I prefer creating my own vegetable based minced meat substitute.

I always use a mixture of mushrooms and tofu for my minced meat and I think it turns out the most delicious if you also add a potato and a carrot. Then, of course, the herbs, you need fresh rosemary and sage. Those two are definitely essential. Also add a bay leave and you’re all set.

So people, this basic recipe, comes with a pretty basic post as it is not even eight o’clock in the morning and I’m still a tad tired. Yes you got me; I am not very much of an early bird…

Anyways, here you got, the recipe:

This recipe makes enough for four to six people.

• 1 small carrot, roughly chopped
• 1 small potato, roughly chopped
• 130g mushrooms
• 100g tofu
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 70g tomato puree
• 1 can diced tomatoes (400g)
• ½ paprika
• Salt
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 2 sage leaves
• 1 bay leave
• 100ml red wine
• 100ml water
• Olive oil

1. Add the carrot, potato, mushrooms and tofu into a food processor. Pulse until all the ingredients are finely chopped. It should still be slightly chunky; you are not aiming for a paste like consistency.
2. Heat up some olive oil in a pan and fry the garlic and onion until the onion has become translucent.
3. Add the mushroom mixture. Continue frying over medium heat until the mixture has developed some colour and its volume has reduced slightly.
4. Add the dice tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, all of your herbs, salt to taste, red wine and water. Let the mixture come to a bubble, cover with a lid, lower the heat and let it cook for approximately 30 minutes.

Voila, that is how I prepare my veggie Bolognese. One of the things I love about this recipe is that it involves hardly any actual cooking. I guess the active cooking time for those would probably be less than 10 minutes. What a perfect weeknight meal, right? Plus it tastes just amazing, so rich, so flavourful, and so delicious. Perfect on top of a bowl of spaghetti or if you happen to have spare time on your hands, homemade pasta.

I hope you’ve had a wonderful weekend and a great start to the new week.

Bisous