Zoodle Plant-Based Bolognese

Makes 3-4. Total time : 15min

Veggie zoodle bolognese is an absolute staple in this house. It is easy, versatile and quick to pull together. It can easily be made dairy and gluten free, as well as vegan.
I like to experiment with it, depending what’s in my fridge. You can add mushrooms, grated carrots or halved cherry tomatoes to the bolognese, or replace the zucchini with sweet potato.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large onion (brown or red),

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 large eggplant

• 2 large zucchinis

• 8-10 pitted kalamata olives

• 1 can of lentils, well rinsed

• 1 cup of textured vegetable protein (TVP) or extra lean mince

• Pulse or wholemeal pasta (~60g per person)

• 2 cans of chopped tomatoes + 50ml tomato paste OR one 500ml jar of bolognese sauce (preferably organic)

  *note - if using bolognese sauce, then herbs, salt and pepper can be left out.

• 2-3 tsp Paprika, Italian herbs or dried oregano

• Salt & pepper to taste,

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Nutritional yeast or parmesan (~40g per person)

METHOD

1. Finally slice the onion, mince the garlic and cube the eggplant (1-2cm cubes). Add them to a large pan with the olive oil, herbs and spices on medium heat until brown and fragrant.
   *note - don’t forget to thoroughly wash your veg before use!

2. Once the onion is soft and the eggplant has browned, add in the olives, lentils and TVP (or mince) with a dash of water, and leave to simmer for another couple minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add in the tomato sauce and half the cheese, stirring again. Bring the heat down and leave to simmer for a few minutes, until the desired consistency is reached.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta as per packet instructions and ribbon the zucchini using a “zoodliser” or mandolin.

5. In a second pan on high heat, flash fry the zoodles - zucchinis hold enough water that you shouldn’t have to add any oil for them to cook without sticking. I like to mix them with a dash of lemon juice and Tamari (trust me!) as well as nutritional yeast. Once they have softened (2-3min max), remove them from the heat and let them drain in a sieve over the sink for a few minutes.
   *note - if you are short on time, you can skip this step, adding the zoodles to the sauce and letting them cook for a couple minutes before dishing up - but you will most likely end up with quite a bit of liquid at the bottom of your plate. Cooking them separately and draining them before dishing up avoids this.

6. Finally, plate your dish : Mix the pasta and zoodles, top with the bolognese sauce and sprinkle parmesan (or nutritional yeast). Bon Appétit!
   
   

WHY USE THESE INGREDIENTS ?

• This recipe is great for volume and satiety - it’s high protein, high fibre, and low energy. In other words, an amazing dish when you’re craving a big meal but still want to kick those goals.

• The eggplant and zucchini are great non-starchy vegetables I use a lot - they are so versatile, store well and enhance the mediterranean flavours of the dish.

• Swapping mince for pulses (here lentils, but you could also use cannellini beans) and TVP is a great way to increase the fibre content of the meal and decreasing the amount of saturated fats - while still keeping it a high protein dish. If using mince, opt for extra lean grass fed or organic mince (if possible).

• Using nutritional yeast instead of, or alongside, cheese helps reduce amount of saturated fats while still keeping things deliciously cheesy.

• Using lots of herbs, spices, onion and garlic is great for gut health. Increased food diversity is associated with a health gut microbiome, and garlic and onion are prebiotic, aka they feed the good gut bugs.

• Finally, adding in olives and olive oil to increases the dish’ content of monounsaturated fatty acids - aka. good fats.