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Pasta Bolognese

Course: Main Course
Author: Lord Byron's Kitchen
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 large green bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 1 large red bell pepper, roughly chopped
  • 3 cups vegetarian beef crumbles
  • 1/2 cup jarred sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 2 cups canned whole tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes, more or less depending on your preference
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for garnish

Instructions

  • Start by heating a large skillet on medium-high heat and sautéing the onions and garlic in the olive oil
  • While those are cooking, finely chopped the carrots, celery, and peppers in a food processor
  • Add the chopped vegetables to the onions and garlic and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring often so not to burn
  • Next, add the packages of TVP and continue to cook for another five minutes.
  • Using your food processor once again, pulse the sun dried tomatoes until they become the consistency of pesto. Add to the skillet.
  • Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, oregano, basil, chilli flakes, salt, and pepper.
  • Cook on medium-high for five minutes stirring constantly.
  • Reduce heat to a mild simmer and place a lid on the skillet. Leave the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes. Be sure to check every ten minutes, stir, and check for moisture.
  • If you find the sauce has gotten too dry - and remember, this is a thick sauce! - you can add a little water. Not too much! Stir and place the lid back on the pan and continue simmering.
  • At the 30 minute mark, remove the lid and stir. At this point, start cooking the pasta.
  • Now that your pasta is almost cooked, add the Parmesan cheese to the sauce. Stir to incorporate and allow sauce to continue simmering until the pasta is ready.
  • Serve this meaty, thick sauce piled high and topped with fresh grated Parmesan.

Notes

You will note that I used penne pasta. Any pasta will do! If you have read my previous pasta recipes, you might recall that I only use La Molisana pasta. It is by far the best dry pasta! This is not a sponsored post for the brand, I'm just passing along my opinion.