Vegetable Bolognese Pasta

We recently had some friends over for dinner with two adorable kids, more or less the same age of mine. I used to cook for them anything I wanted and I remember how passionate they were about my pasta. I also know that they are now going through a though (at least for the mom) picky eater phase where they do not want to touch anything in the vegetable category.

That’s why (in agreement with my friend) I prepared a Meatless Vegetable Bolognese Pasta calling it simply “Bolognese Pasta”, a name that they knew very well 🙂

After the first bite they looked at me asking what was different and I just said: “nothing, just a different kind of meat. But it is still good, don’t you like it?”

Apparently my answer was good enough for them to keep eating without complaining 🙂

That’s the same recipe I’m sharing with you today, a vegetarian take of the traditional Bolognese Sauce using cauliflowers and other veggies.

Picky eaters are not so easy to please 🙂 From my personal experience as a mom of two and from all the comments that I receive on the blog, it seems that at a certain point, the wonderful toddler that used to love any kind of fruit and vegetables without complaining and finishing up until the very last spoon, suddenly disappeared somewhere leaving at his place a stubborn picky eater, suspicious and hostile to anything that resembles a vegetable or a fruit 🙂

That’s the time when a mom’s creativity should work harder without NEVER giving up…it’s just a matter of time, patience will be rewarded!!

Print

Vegetable Bolognese Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 onion
• 1 cauliflower
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stick
• 6 oz. tomato sauce 400gr.
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 basil leaves
• 3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• pinch of salt
• 1 lb. pasta 500gr.
• 1 Tbsp sea salt for the pasta

Instructions

1. Prepare all the vegetables: wash them and chop them in big pieces
   
2. 
3. In a food processor add the garlic, the onion, the cauliflower, the carrot and the celery.
   
4. Pulse few minutes up until obtaining a grainy consistency.
   
5. 
6. In a large frying pan add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the vegetable mix.
   
7. Turn the heat on at medium and stir for 3 minutes.
   
8. Add the tomato sauce, adjust with a pinch of salt, stir and reduce the heat to a simmer.
   
9. Cover and cook slowly for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
10. Meanwhile prepare the pasta.
11. Bring a large pot full with water to a boil.
12. When the pasta is boiling add one tablespoon of sea salt and the pasta of your choice
13. Follow the cooking time on the packaging.
    
14. Remove 1 cup of boiling water that you might need to thin the sauce if it is too thick.
15. Drain the pasta and place it in a big bowl.
16. Add the Vegetable Bolognese Sauce and stir.
    
17. Add few leaves of fresh basil and some hot water that you previously removed from the pot, if needed.
18. Serve and enjoy!!