Plant-Based Bolognese

By: Ben McKeown

This fantastic Plant-Based recipe from Ashley the Kitchen Coach, changing peoples lives by taking the cardboard out of Gluten-Free and putting rich flavour into Plant-based meals. This bolognese sauce is full of flavour and will please everyone who eats it! For the observant picky eaters, make the ingredients that are likely to be an issue smaller (grated or blended up will do the trick!).

Servings: 5

Prep time: 00:15

Cook time: 00:30

Ingredients

• 2 Lg. Onions
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 2 Stalks of Celery
• 3 Tbsp Olive oil or Ghee
• 2 C Mushrooms, diced or blitzed
• 6 C Fresh tomatoes, diced or blitzed
• 1-2 Zucchini, diced fine or blitzed
• 1-2 Carrots, grated
• 1 Capsicum, diced
• ½ C Parsley, fresh, finely minced
• 1 C Basil, fresh leaves minced
• 2 tsp Oregano, dried
• 1-2 tin(s) Lentils, rinsed
• 2 tsp Celtic or Himalayan Salt
• 2-4 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast, optional

If more liquid is desired use homemade broth or water + 1 Tbsp miso paste at the end of cooking.

Instructions

1. If using a food processor to do the chopping for you, blitz up the onions, garlic and celery. Otherwise, chop finely.
2. You can either make this in a slow cooker or large pot on the stove. Prepare your choice.
3. Regardless of your chosen pot, saute the onions, garlic, and celery with ghee or oil in a saucepan for a few minutes until softened.
4. Put this mixture into the slow cooker or leave it in the large pot and add all remaining ingredients.
5. Simmer on low for best results - slow cooker: 5-8hrs or stovetop: 1-3hrs.
6. Season at the end to taste.

Tips

To reduce chunkiness, you may use a stick blender (immersion blender) to pulse it to a smoother consistency if desired.

If you had pre-soaked your own dried lentils overnight, then you could add these in raw to cook within the juices of the sauce. You may need to add extra tomatoes, a jar of passata or broth to make up the extra liquid.

You may use small diced cubes of pre-sautéed eggplant instead of lentils if you wish as well.