pasta bolognese
Walnuts in bolognese? TRUST ME!! I am all about focussing on what we can ADD to our diets and crushed walnuts blends so beautifully into a bolognese sauce. I have also added the sweetness of grated carrot and the texture of diced mushrooms to this sauce to add even more plants into our diet. I hope you love this recipe!
recipe (serves 6)
ingredients
1/2 brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, grated
2 cups mushrooms, finely chopped
300g beef mince
1 cup walnuts
700g passata
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp dried oregano
500g spaghetti or pasta of your choice
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
method
1. Roughly chop up the walnuts and pop them in a 180C oven for 10 minutes to toast. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan with high sides over medium heat, drizzle a couple of tbsp of olive oil and add in the onion. Sauté the onion until it is translucent and then add in the garlic. Once the garlic is aromatic, add in the carrot, mushrooms and a sprinkle of salt. Sauté until the vegetables have cooked down.
3. Add the beef to the pan and cook alongside the vegetables until it is completely cooked through. Add in the walnuts, passata, sugar, oregano and season with salt and pepper. Stir until it starts to simmer. Put the heat on low and cover with a lid. Allow to cook for an hour and a half, returning to stir every five to ten minutes.
4. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and pour the cooked pasta back into the pot. Add a couple of heaped ladles of your sauce to the pasta along with a generous grating of parmesan. Mix it all together.
5. Serve the pasta with additional sauce on top. That’s it!! Super delicious!!
Tip: If you want to turn this into a pasta bake you totally can!! Use a short cut pasta (such as spirals or penne) and cook it for a couple of minutes shy of what the packet recommends. Add all the sauce to it once it’s cooked. Pour all the pasta into a baking dish and sprinkle a generous amount of parmesan and mozzarella over the top. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is all bubbly. You can even prepare this one on a Sunday and then bake it on a busy weeknight 👩🍳
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