Spaghetti bolognese is one of the easiest dinners you can cook, to the extent that when I thought about writing this one up on the blog I thought it was maybe a bit too pedestrian, but once I tasted it I realised that, when it comes to my blog, my main rule is that it doesn’t matter how simple the recipe is as long as it tastes fantastic.

This is a meat and dairy-free vegan spaghetti bolognese, but don’t let that put you off making this, meat-eaters, because: a.) the vegan mince is very tasty and substantial; b.) if you really wanted to you could easily use beef or pork mince in place of the vegan mince; and c.) it’s worth making for the ragù sauce alone.

The key to this vegan spaghetti bolognese recipe is the inclusion of chopped sundried tomatoes which adds a silky richness to the tomato base. The capers and green olives also add a nice tart piquancy which cuts through the rich sauce whilst adding texture. I always keep a packet of fresh basil leaves in my freezer to add to dishes such as this one. I won’t lie, the freezing process does make the leaves lose some of their flavour potency so it’s best to use fresh basil leaves, but it’s worth it to have some on hand to add to my plate should the need arise.

In all, if you make this vegan spaghetti bolognese you’ll be rewarded with a plateful of tender well-seasoned spaghetti topped generously with a full-bodied and luscious tomato ragù that’s brimming over with flavour. All in all, how can you resist?

Ingredients:

For the ragù sauce:

2 tbsps. of olive oil

I tsp asafoetida powder

10 pitted green olives (halved)

2 tbsps. capers

32g sundried tomatoes (chopped)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

400g of tinned chopped tomatoes

250g vegan mince

Fresh basil

For the spaghetti:

360g dried gluten-free spaghetti (I go with roughly 90g per person)

2 gluten-free vegetable stock cubes

Method:

Fill a large pan with hot water, add the two vegetable stock cubes and bring to the boil.

Put another smaller pan on a medium heat and add your olive oil. Add the sundried tomatoes, capers, olives, vegan mince and pepper and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Whilst the sauce is simmering cook the spaghetti in the large pan of seasoned boiling water until it is cooked to your preferred texture and drain well.

Serve each mound of spaghetti with a generous topping of ragù sauce, fresh basil leaves and a grating of parmesan (or a dairy-free version).

Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2017