Marcella-Inspired Bolognese

In honor of National Spaghetti Day, it's only right to share our take on the delicious pasta dish. Pair our veggie-packed bolognese sauce with your favorite bean or lentil pasta for a healthy, satiating meal. As a base, we happen to love Explore Cuisine Edamame Spaghetti and Ancient Harvest POW! Pasta Red Lentil Rotini.

Let's be honest, who doesn't love a home-made bolognese sauce? Our goal at Plantable is to take the most delicious meals and keep all of their taste and comfort value, but just make them... good for us! Here's what we did with Bolognese sauce - so good (spoken by a true Italian) that my 8-year old can't tell the difference.

Marcella-Inspired Bolognese

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 2 cups tempeh, crumbles
• 1.5 cups cremini mushrooms, quartered
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1.5 tsp nutmeg, to taste
• 2.25 cups crushed tomatoes

• 1.5 cups tomato sauce

• 1 cup cashew cream - (Optional, if this is too time consuming. If not - soak 1 cup of cashews overnight. In the morning, drain the cashews and blend with 1/2 cup water, until smooth.) 
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 bay leaves

Instructions

1. In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse tempeh to a coarse meal, or buy it from Trader Joes all good to crumble.
2. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tempeh and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Add garlic, onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in wine and bay leaves and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
4. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and cashew cream (optional) and simmer, uncovered for 40 minutes. Serve over spelt fusilli, edamame spaghetti or your favorite bean pasta.