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

1. Finely chop your onion, garlic and mushrooms and peel and dice the carrots and celeriac
2. Heat the balsamic vinegar in a non-stick pan, then add in the onions and garlic, sautéing until fragrant
3. Add in the carrots, celeriac, mushrooms, dried herbs, smoked paprika and dulse. Keep sautéing until the veggies are just soft
4. 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
5. Meanwhile, bring water to the boil in a pot and cook your pasta according to packet directions
6. Add the baby spinach into your sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes
7. Mix drained pasta with bolognese sauce and add salt and black pepper to taste
8. 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!