The Ultimate Pasta Bolognese

Hey guys!

I thought it would be cool to add a really British basic to the winter comfort food section, and this is a take on a classic spaghetti Bolognese. Now there’s the real version and then there is the British version which is basically a ragu sauce with mince meat. So I’ve done a mix between what I’ve been taught to make and then the traditional version.

Ingredients

• Celery

• Carrot

• Red Onion

• Red Peppers

• Mixed Sweet Tomatoes

• Mushrooms (you can use minced meat alternatives such as Quorn)

• Olives (optional)

• Tinned Pasata

• Pasta Shells (or spaghetti)

• Red Wine

• Salt

• Pepper

• White pepper

• Butter alternative (I used Pure brand)

• Rosemary

• Chives

• Vegetable Stock

• Oat Milk

• Worcestershire Sauce

• Flat Breads, Basil + Dairy Free

• Cheese (serving optional)

So for this recipe, it’s simple and full of flavour, and it’s really a plant dish that you can switch up with any type of pasta. I chose a delicious giant stuffed pasta shells, but I also did this with spaghetti noodles so check it out later. So the trick is, get your pasta done first. Because once that’s cooked, it’s easy. I don’t salt the water, I just rinse the pasta slightly, bring to the boil in a pan, turn down and cook for about ten minutes with any dried pasta. Check it, you’re gonna be cooking it in the sauce to finish and thicken the sauce up at the end, so just get it al dente.

In a large frying pan, add a couple of tbsp of oil, some red onions. I used thin red onions that were a hybrid between scallions and onions from my local grocery, but use whatever you have. I was cooking for two people, one large red onion would suffice. Fry off with peppercorns, salt, rosemary. A tsp of each. When the onions turn translucent, add the sliced peppers, I used two pointed sweet peppers, then the chives, a tsp. You wanna wait a couple of minutes and add a handful of tomatoes. Then I took about 10 black olives and added them. Next add a cup full of quorn mince (or mushroom finely diced) and fry together until the mince turns brown. I wanted to add some more flavour so I threw in mushrooms, about 6 button mushrooms, then about 50ml of red wine, a tbsp of W sauce, and a vegetable stock cube broken up. Then a cup of passata. Up the heat and bring to a boil.

Once it’s boiled slightly, turn it right down. You want everything to cook slowly and for a pretty long time, and as things began to thicken up, you then slowly feed the pot oat milk or your favourite milk alternative. I had about an hour to prep before eating but the longer the better, this is the type of food that just intensifies the longer you cook it.

With mushroom based mince alternatives, you really don’t wanna cook them over a massively long time, because traditionally this takes four hours of cooking. So bare that in mind because if you want the sauce to thicken and be perfect first, slow cook it WITHOUT the mushrooms and quorn, and add that in at the end. When you’re ready to finish the dish, throw in a spoon full of water from cooking your pasta shells, the starch works as a thickener, throw the pasta shells into the main dish and voila. Cook for about three more minutes until piping hot and serve.

I wanted to show a contrast between the cute shells and the spaghetti below I made, because I also made some flatbreads which were amazing. I took flatbreads, popped on a baking tray, added a mix of vegan Parmesan, butter alternative, chives, pepper and basil, coated them and then grated some gorgeous chive cheese alternative on top. In the oven until they went crispy, and they worked as the most amazing cheesy side dish.

I also didn’t slow cook this one as long and left the vegetables more a statement, it was just an easy, wintery comfort food that everyone loves, old and young.

Let me know if you try this one out at home, it’s so simple and tastes amazing.