There is something comforting about a big bowl of chunky veggie spaghetti bolognese that it needs to come into my life regularly. I don’t know whether it has something to do with it being one of my first ‘specialties’, or that it is so simple to make that makes it that way. Whatever it is, I love it and wanted to share it with you too. I’m sure you’re going to be a fan as well.
After watching Rick Stein’s Weekends away programme I now know that bolognese as we know it in the UK is not the kind they actually eat in the Bologne region – you learn something new every day! However, I’m not a stickler for sticking to tradition or the rules as you know from our Thai Green Curry with Poppadums, so I’ll stick with my version. A very Sarah version of veggie spaghetti bolognese.
This is a plentiful recipe for four portions (or for left overs as we do) and is packed with chunky vegetables, soya mince, delicious tender spaghetti and lashings of vegetarian parmesan. OK, so that last sentence seems to sum up exactly why it is my favourite kind of comfort food!!
You can pretty much add whichever veggies you fancy to this dish, but I like to keep it fairly simple with some mushrooms, onions, garlic, sweet peppers and tomato. Sometimes I think the simpler the meal, the better it is. And when it comes to comfort food like veggie spaghetti bolognese, you don’t need the faff of too many veggies to prepare either. You just want to chop, cook, mix, simmer and eat!
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
200 g sliced mushrooms
1 bag of Meet the Alternative Mince (or other mince alternative)
2 medium to large onions, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sweet peppers, chopped (I like to use different colours just to make it prettier)
2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
Cooked spaghetti for four people
freshly ground pepper to taste
Vegetarian Parmesan for topping (Asda and Tescos own basic brands are vegetarian!)
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan or stock pot
Add the diced onions and stir to coat in oil
Add in the mince, garlic, peppers and mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly for about 6-8 minutes until the vegetables are softened and the mince cooked
To the pan add 1 tbsp of oregano and 1 tbsp basil, along with the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes
Stir the mixture to combine and add a little bit of boiling water if it is hard to stir
bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes while you cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions
When the time us up, stir the remaining dried herbs into the bolognese and leave on the simmer while you serve your spaghetti
Spoon over the bolognese, finely grate over the veggie parmesan and grind over some pepper
Enjoy with a huge comforted smile on your face!
Mmmm, comfort food is the joy of the colder months, don’t you think?
Enjoy!
How are you making up for the cold wet weather? Are you filling up on comfort food like my veggie spaghetti bolognese?
let me know in the comments!
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 200 g sliced mushrooms
- 1 bag of Meet the Alternative Mince (or other mince alternative)
- 2 medium to large onions, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 sweet peppers, chopped (I like to use different colours just to make it prettier)
- 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp dried basil
- Cooked spaghetti for four people
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- Vegetarian Parmesan for topping (Asda and Tescos own basic brands are vegetarian!)
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan or stock pot
- Add the diced onions and stir to coat in oil
- Add in the mince, garlic, peppers and mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly for about 6-8 minutes until the vegetables are softened and the mince cooked
- To the pan add 1 tbsp of oregano and 1 tbsp basil, along with the tomato puree and tinned tomatoes
- Stir the mixture to combine and add a little bit of boiling water if it is hard to stir
- bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer
- Cover and simmer for 15 minutes while you cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions
- When the time us up, stir the remaining dried herbs into the bolognese and leave on the simmer while you serve your spaghetti
- Spoon over the bolognese, finely grate over the veggie parmesan and grind over some pepper
- Enjoy with a huge comforted smile on your face!
2 comments
This is my kind of dish! Looks so tasty.
I love spag Bol! Although I’m not a massive fan of veggies so I would probably blend them up but it sounds delicious and perfect for a cold winters night!