Vegetarian Pasta Bolo 🤌🏽🍝

Mamma mia! Your microbiome is going to love the plant diversity you're about to serve it, and your brain will be licking its lips... Let's go: everyone into the kitchen!

Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce (Serves 6)

If you are here, it’s because you scanned one of the QR codes from my book Your Optimal Health (Hardie Grand ed.). And that’s perfect, because I love this recipe!

I always prepare this sauce in large quantities. Why? Because it’s ultra-practical! I use it for a first dinner, then I keep a glass tupperware in the fridge to reheat it the next day “shakshuka style,” with two eggs and some crumbled feta. I also freeze a portion for an express dinner on a lazy day: all I’ll have to do is boil the pasta! 😉 Besides, most of the time, I replace the pasta with chickpeas or quinoa.

This recipe proves that a single dish can be an excellent source of plant diversity and that pasta can indeed be a “healthy” meal. And if you like these kinds of tips, find my revisited puttanesca recipe (my favorite!) in my newsletter.

Ingredients:

• 800g crushed tomatoes

• 200g tomato purée (passata)

• 400g Portobello or button mushrooms, finely chopped

• 300g black Beluga lentils (or 600g cooked)

• A bouquet garni (bay leaf and thyme)

• 3 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 onions, finely chopped

• 2 carrots, finely chopped

• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped

• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

• Harissa, Espelette pepper, or a small bird’s eye chili (adjust to your heat tolerance!)

• Olive oil

• 50 to 100g of pasta per person (linguine or other) – can be served over chickpeas, white beans, or quinoa for a pasta-free alternative.

• Grated Parmesan (yum)

Instructions:

1. Cook the lentils: Rinse them thoroughly, then simmer for 30 to 40 minutes in three times their volume of water. Drain and set aside. Ideally, soak them for 24 to 48 hours after rinsing (optional; this requires organization as you need to plan the soaking a day or two in advance).

2. Prepare the mushrooms: Chop them, then sauté over medium heat with a little butter until their water evaporates and they reach a meltingly soft texture. Set aside.

3. Brown the garlic and onions: Gently heat olive oil in a pan, add the garlic and onions. Do not let the oil sizzle or smoke; maintain a moderate temperature.

4. Prepare the soffritto: Finely chop the carrots, celery, and chili, then gradually add them to the onions. Sauté for a few minutes.

5. Add the sauce: Incorporate the tomatoes (crushed, purée, and paste) and the bouquet garni. Mix well.

6. Simmer: Cook over low heat for 30 minutes.

7. Incorporate the lentils and mushrooms: Simmer for another 5 minutes. Optionally, add miso or soy sauce for a deeper umami flavor. Salt and pepper to taste.

8. Remove the bay leaf and thyme.

9. Cook the pasta (AL DENTE!): Plunge them into a large amount of salted boiling water, drain quickly, then mix them directly with the sauce to coat them well.

10. Serve: With a drizzle of olive oil and grated Parmesan if desired.

Pro-tip: For even more flavor, let the sauce rest for a few hours before reheating. As my twin sister Pauline would say: “Anything with tomato is better the next day!” If you’re the lazy type in the kitchen, make a bit more than necessary: you’ll have several meals ready for the price of one. Freezer or fridge—it’s up to you to get organized! 😉

“Anything with tomato is better the next day!” — Pauline Steinbach 🤌🏽