Not Your Traditional Vegan Bolognese Sauce

It's been one of those weeks when I just feel so overwhelmed - and mainly - by my kids. They are on a holiday known as "Fall Break" and we've been spending a lot of {maybe too much} quality time together.

The whining, nagging, fighting and just NOISE in general seems to be over the top lately.

I wish I was writing something like "today I'm sharing a recipe that my kids helped me create. We've been spending so much time in the kitchen and it's been such a blast!" But unfortunately, that's the not the case as of yet. BIG SIGH! (hahaha) But the good news is, I created an epic vegan Bolognese sauce recipe for you guys.

I think what I needed most was a little break from the house cleaning to make an even bigger mess in my kitchen just so I could share with everybody this amazing VEGAN {yes, vegan} bolognese! It's not like any other you've ever had. 

And what better way to decompress than cook something perfect?! And thanks for listening to my rant.

For this to die for Bolognese sauce {or lasagna sauce} recipe, you'll want to start with a Vitamix and then move to the stove top.

This recipe has a sweet and smokey bite but in a hearty tomato and "meat" base. The meat you'll be using can be found on this blog. I shared my walnut meat with you all back on Taco Tuesday.  Check it out here by clicking on this link. 

What You Will Need For My Vegan Bolognese Sauce

• Roasted bell pepper
• Crushed chili pepper flakes
• Sundried tomatoes (these freeze dried kind are the best)
• Organic crushed tomatoes
• Fresh garlic cloves
• Fresh oregano and basil
• Cherry tomatoes
• Smoked sea salt
• Walnut Meat

TOMATO SAUCE

½ roasted bell pepper {make more and save them as a side dish - kids love them}

½ teaspoon {or less if you don't like spice} crushed chili peppers

¼ cup sun dried tomatoes {the kind packed in oil}

BLEND UNTIL SMOOTH + ADD

¾ jar {or 1.5 - 2 cups}  organic crushed tomatoes {see pic above}

2 cloves garlic

1 ½ TBLS sweetener {I love that ginger syrup and use it all the time for cooking}

5 sprigs fresh basil leaves

2 Tbls chopped fresh oregano

¼ - ½ cup cherry tomatoes

½ teaspoon smoked sea salt {optional if don't have it on hand}

pinch of sea salt

BLEND AGAIN UNTIL SMOOTH + ADD

½ cup walnut meat

BLEND THE RED SAUCE AND MEAT BY HAND UNTIL MIXED

DO NOT BLEND IN VITAMIX

In a large sauce pan cooked the gluten-free cappelini or angel hair pasta noodles. NOTE: if you're new to gluten-free pasta use olive oil in the boiling water AND stir the noodles quite often to keep them from sticking together.

Meanwhile...

IN A SKILLET ADD

2 Tbls chopped shallots or white onion

¼ cup olive oil

Heat the shallots until they start to brown - about 4 minutes - stirring occasionally. Then add the above tomato red sauce. Blend well with a spoon and let it simmer until pasta noodles are ready.

Set aside herbs for garnish.

The only way I personally enjoy eating a bowl of heavy starch pasta is to lighten it up with zucchini noodles. Try that for color and then you don't have to worry about a "side" of veggies to go with your main course.

Hope you're having a wonderful "Fall Break" and if need be, take a break of your own, as I did, and make some PASTA! {wink}