PASTA WITH VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
Pasta with Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce is a protein rich, delicious, comforting main meal dish. The sauce has the meaty texture without any meat, the umami from the mushrooms and did I mention it is wholesome? Inspired by the classic bolognese sauce, I sometimes replace the soya mince with lentils or mushrooms.
Ingredients
FOR THE VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
- ½ cup soya mince
- ½ cup onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 200 g mushrooms
- 100 g carrot
- 2 stalks celery
- 200 g cauliflower
- 2 cups tomato sauce thick
- 1 tsp basil dried
- 1 tsp oregano dried
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1-1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper powder coarse
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 cups water or stock
FOR THE PASTA
- 12 oz spaghetti, fettucine or linguine
- 4 litres water
- 1 tsp salt
TO SERVE
- 100 g cheese of your choice grated
Instructions
PREPARATION OF VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
- Soak soya mince in warm water for 15 minutes.
- Remove the water and wash the soya with normal tap water. Keep it on the side till required.
- Roughly chop carrot, celery stalks and mushrooms into chunks.
- Break up the cauliflower florets.
- Process the above vegetables in a food processor to a coarse texture. Remove from the jug into a bowl and keep on the side.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add chopped onion and stir fry till it becomes soft and begins to turn light brown.
- Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the soya mince and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the roughly processed vegetables. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the herbs and salt. Mix well.
- Add the tomato sauce and sugar. Mix well. If the sauce is too thick you may need to add ½ cup water so that the soya mince can cook well.
- Cover the pan and allow the sauce to simmer over medium low for 15 minutes or till the soya mince is cooked. Stir the sauce occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the black pepper and mix well.
PREPARATION OF THE PASTA
- Heat about 4-5 litres of water in a large pan.
- When it begins to boil, add the salt.
- Then add the pasta and stir gently for a few minutes so that it does not stick to each other.
- Cook the pasta as per the timing given on the package or box.
- Drain out the water.
TO SERVE
- Add hot pasta to a serving plate.
- Add some vegetarian bolognese sauce. About ¾ -1 cup per person. It all depends on how much sauce each person prefers.
- Sprinkle some cheese and serve.
Notes
- To replace soya mince with lentils, take about ½ cup dry lentils. Soak them in warm water for 15 minutes for easier cooking.
- If you want to replace the mince with mushrooms, 1 cup in addition is a good guidance. Don't forget to include the 200g as required by the recipe.
- If you are going to add eggplant, it is best to peel it and chop it finely.
- Add herbs of your choice.