Eggplant Bolognese
Eggplant Bolognese! You've gotta try this plant-based eggplant ragu, so hearty and full of flavor. Roasted eggplant bolognese with mushrooms served over pasta with plenty of basil.
Ingredients
- 1 medium Italian globe eggplant, about 1 pound
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, stems removed and diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- Fresh basil leaves, red chili flakes and parmesan (or vegan parmesan), for garnish
- 1 pound dried pasta of choice, like rigatoni, ziti or other pasta shape
Instructions
Bake the eggplant
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the eggplant in the middle of the oven and bake until very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove to let cool while you prepare the rest of the sauce.
Brown the vegetables
- Heat the oil in a large pot and in the onion, celery, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until very tender and soft, 15-20 minutes. Add in the garlic and the dried herbs and cook another 30-60 seconds.
Stir in the wine and the tomato paste
- Add in the wine and cook until reduced by half, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Add the eggplant
- Remove the eggplant from the skin and coarsely chop. Add into the sauce along with the crushed tomatoes and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, then simmer over low heat for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. The sauce should be quite thick.
Serve the pasta
- When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just under al dente (about 2 minutes from package directions). Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Add 1/2 the sauce to the pot you just cooked the pasta in along with the cooked pasta and a generous splash of the reserved pasta water. Cook over low heat, tossing the entire time, until the pasta is al dente and cooked through. Add more sauce/pasta water as needed to thin and coat. Serve with more sauce as desired, fresh basil leaves, red pepper flakes and parm cheese as desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 467kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 14gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 470mgPotassium: 956mgFiber: 8gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 3726IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 3mg