Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce

Sometimes it is really hard to get my son to eat enough vegetables, so I tried to trick him the other day by using soy instead of meat. I told him we were going to have Pasta with Bolognese Sauce for dinner, which is one of his favorite dishes. When he tasted the sauce he told me that something tasted slightly different but he didn't know what it was. I pretended not to know what he was talking about and said it tasted the same to me. Later on when I wasn't paying attention, he went through the trash and found the package of "meat" I used for the sauce. "Found it" -  he told me smiling. He made me promise  not to try and trick him any more. Anyway,  I think the sauce didn't really taste different - maybe a bit sweeter than usual and the texture was a little less crunchy than the regular meat sauce. But a great alternative if you want to eat less meat and live healthier. A great addition is lots of shaved parmesan, which even got my son to eat it and stop complaining.

Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese

serves 4

100 g / 3 oz celery stalks finely diced

1 small carrot, finely diced

4 T olive oil

200 g / 6oz soy crumble (I used "Smart Ground")

1 medium onion, finely diced

3 T tomato paste

1 clove of garlic, minced

100 ml red wine

400 g crushed tomatoes and their juice

400 ml vegetable broth

1/2 t brown sugar

1 pinch of black pepper

1 pinch of salt

2 T mixed herbs (fresh or dried)

1 lb pasta

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic  and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 5 - 8 minutes. Scrape the vegetable mixture into a large bowl.
2. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the saucepan and heat until just shimmering. Add the soy crumbles and cook over moderately high heat until brown, about 5 minutes. Return the vegetable mixture to the saucepan. Add the tomato paste and cook over high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost evaporated, about 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the broth and herbs. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat for 15 - 30 minutes
3. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well, return to the pot and toss with the sauce. Serve the pasta in deep bowls and pass the Parmesan at the table.