Veggie-packed Bolognese Pasta
You can't really go wrong with a big, hearty bowl of pasta. It's one dish that absolutely everyone seems to love, and with good reason!
Tomato-based sauces have always been my favourite when it comes to pasta sauces. And this veggie-packed bolognese is definitely one of those favourites. The key to a good bolognese, in my opinion, is adding plenty of herbs and cooking it for as long as possible for the flavours to really develop.
Packed with wholesome nutrient-dense veggies, this bolognese is hearty, yet still light, and makes a great mid-week dinner. Best of all, it tastes even better the next day.
I regularly include it as part of my weekly meal prep, to have in the fridge or freezer and ready to go. Coming home after a long day of uni, having some delicious veggie bolognese on hand that just needs to be heated up and added to a bowl of pasta is the best!
One of the star ingredients in this bolognese is celeriac, a root vegetable that's very common in Switzerland but not very well known here in Australia. If you haven't tried it yet, I highly encourage you to try it. It has an amazing unique flavour and is the prefect ingredient for pasta sauces, stews and soups, or even added to mashed potato!
I hope you love this nourishing bolognese as much as I do, and be sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it so I can see and share your pasta creations.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 small brown onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 medium celeriac (see notes)
- handful of button mushrooms
- 2 tsp mixed dried herbs
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp dulse flakes
- 2 cups tomato passata
- large handful of baby spinach
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- pasta of your choice
Method
- Finely chop your onion, garlic and mushrooms and peel and dice the carrots and celeriac
- Heat the balsamic vinegar in a non-stick pan, then add in the onions and garlic, sautéing until fragrant
- Add in the carrots, celeriac, mushrooms, dried herbs, smoked paprika and dulse. Keep sautéing until the veggies are just soft
- Add in the tomato passata and 1 cup of water, then reduce to a simmer and cook 20-25 minutes (or longer for more flavour, just keep adding more water!) to reduce
- Meanwhile, bring water to the boil in a pot and cook your pasta according to packet directions
- Add the baby spinach into your sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes
- Mix drained pasta with bolognese sauce and add salt and black pepper to taste
- Enjoy!
Notes:
- Celeriac is a root vegetable. If you can't find it, you can substitute it for parsnip or a few stalks of celery
- This sauce keeps in the fridge for up to a week and also freezes well!