Hello friends!
Today’s post is another recipe- spag bol is possibly the most comforting comfort food! And being vegan absolutely does not mean we have to miss out on our favourite tea time classics. Here’s my go-to recipe for bolognese!
Ingredients:
200g vegan mince
Tin chopped tomatoes
Tbsp tomato purée
Olive oil
Half a white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
Sliced chillies (to taste)
Handful mushrooms, chopped
Handful olives, sliced
2 chunks frozen spinach
Small carrot, grated
Half a courgette, grated
Chopped fresh basil
Tsp yeast extract
Vegetable stock cube
Red wine (to taste)
1/2 tsp instant coffee
Herbs/spices: dried oregano, dried marjoram, dried thyme, shake of cayenne, shake of paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
Method:
Fry the onion in olive oil, and when its starting to go translucent add the garlic. Once both are cooked through (you’ll be able to tell by the smell!), add the herbs and spices and the tomato purée. Stir together for a few minutes before adding the mince. Stir the mince whilst it cooks to prevent it catching. Once the mince is around 90% cooked, add the can of tomatoes, spinach, stock cube, coffee (trust me) and yeast extract (again, trust me – it adds an extra savoury dimension without being detectable, and is a great source of B vitamins). Cook for a few minutes, then add your chillies and basil*, as well as any veg you choose to include. I find that grating carrot and courgette into dishes such as these is a brilliant way to get extra veg into your meals without altering flavour or texture too much. Finish with a glug of red wine, and simmer until you’re ready!
*to save me buying packets of fresh basil and throwing away 90% of it or having another plant die on me, I buy a pack of fresh basil, chop it, and freeze it in ice cube trays with a bit of water to keep it together. Then when I’m making a dish such as this, I pop a basil-cube into the pan and hey presto! Fresh basil flavour without the waste.
Serve with pasta, preferably spaghetti (I didn’t have any, so penne it was) and some grated cheese. Parmesan-style vegan cheese is relatively easy to find and is perfect for this but again, I didn’t have any so regular old (vegan) cheese had to do!
Hope you give this a try and enjoy it as much as I do 🍝
Maddie x