Vegan Bolognese with Eggplant
A vegan bolognese sauce that is just as delicious and satisfying as the original meat sauce
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Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 520kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large eggplant, about 1 pound, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper, red, yellow, or orange, small dice
- 1 medium zucchini, medium dice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 pound bucatini pasta, or your favorite pasta
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Cook eggplant. Heat 6 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or large frying pan with high sides. Add eggplant and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan. Add onion, pepper, zucchini and garlic. Add the 1/2 teaspoon salt and the 1/4 teaspoon chile flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
- Cook sauce. Add tomatoes, oregano and eggplant to vegetable mixture. Fill the tomato can halfway with water and add that as well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Gently simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt, if necessary.
- Cook pasta. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of heavily-salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions. Drain well and return to the pot.
- Serve. Toss pasta with the basil and sauce. Divide into bowls, sprinkle some vegan parmesan over the top if desired and more basil and chile flakes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Eggplant: Look for heirloom Italian varieties at the farmer's market if possible or opt for Chinese or Japanese eggplant that tend to have less seeds and more flesh.
- Peeling eggplant: I peel the eggplant to keep it less detectable as eggplant for my eggplant-adverse child. If you don't care and the skin is not too thick, you can leave it unpeeled.
- Salting eggplant: Salting eggplant before cooking is common if the eggplant you are using is not very fresh and possibly bitter. If you are using the varieties I mentioned above, it should not be necessary.
- Freezing: The sauce freezes beautifully. Store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.