Roxanne’s Vegetable Bolognese Rigatoni

Sticking to our admiration for Italian flavors, this week’s recipe comes from the results of a poll we did on our facebook and instagram pages. We asked which pasta you prefer, rotini or rigatoni and the rigatoni was the clear winner! Seeing those results we promised our followers a rigatoni recipe soon and here it is! ROXANNE’S VEGETABLE BOLOGNESE RIGATONI. This dish has a homemade veggie sauce that is full of chopped up carrot, onion, garlic, kale, and bell pepper both red and green. This dish is full of freshness and also very tomato focused. The best part of this entree is not only is it vegan but opt out the wine and you’ve made a kid friendly dish they will love! So, let’s get cooking! 

ROXANNE’S VEGETABLE BOLOGNESE RIGATONI

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 medium sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1 small green bell pepper
• 6 small-medium white button mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• small handful fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped + more for garnish
• 1/4 cup (vegan) red wine of choice
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast + more for garnish
• olive oil for the pan
• 1/2 teaspoon of each; dried thyme, dried basil, celery seed, dried oregano, garlic powder and onion powder.
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups dried rigatoni pasta
• water for cooking pasta
• fresh basil for garnish

METHOD:

• Start by giving the carrots, onion, garlic cloves, and bell peppers a rough chop and place them in a large food processor. Pulse until all the veggies are chopped to resemble a pico de gallo consistency. Set aside.

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the dried pasta. Cook until al dente.Reserve two small ladles of hot pasta water before draining water from cooked pasta.
• In a large skillet, drizzle some olive oil around the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped veggies to the skillet. Add the thyme, dried basil, celery seed, dried oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sautee for about 5-8 minutes on medium heat.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and some salt and pepper. Sautee for a minute or so.
• Pour in a can of crushed tomatoes and a small ladle of pasta water. 
• Stir in 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and 1 Tablespoon sugar. 
• Fold in the red wine, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes.
• Finally fold in some chopped parsley.

• Before serving you can garnish with some fresh basil, more fresh parsley, and nutritional yeast.
• Buon Appetito!