Bolognese Daze

There is nothing better than a big, warm bowl of pasta. This modern pasta bolognese recipe from Olivia Wilde is a hearty meal packed with protein and even more taste. Buon Appetito.

Eat this with any kind of pasta you love, or with some fresh arugula leaves for a non-traditional alternative.We used a bunch of veggies from the garden, but I think you could try this with any veggies you love.

A few splashes Olive Oil

1 tsp Earth Balance (an amazing alternative butter)

1/2 Onion

3 cloves Garlic

Big bunch of Mushrooms – any and all kinds (well, not all)

1/2 package Tempeh (I used this one http://www.lightlife.com/product_detail.jsp?p=tempeh_threegrain)

1/2 Zucchini Squash

1 Eggplant

A carrot

Tomatoes – 2, boiled, skinned and pureed (or 1/2 of your favorite jar of tomato sauce if you’re pressed for time)

Bunch of Basil

Bunch of Italian parsley

Oregano

Rosemary

Salt

Red Pepper flakes

Red wine

Chop, and sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Toss the mushrooms in the food processor (or chop them if you’re not as lazy as me) and stir into the pan. Do the same with the tempeh. These two ingredients make up the “ground meat” of this “bolognese” so keep that in mind when chopping, and make the pieces small. Splash in some red wine (just a sip or two) and a tsp of Earth Balance, and some salt, pepper, and stir. Chop up or food process your zucchini squash, eggplant,  fresh basil, parsley, carrot, and whatever else looks good, and toss into the pan and stir. Add the tomatoes (or tomato sauce) and stir. Sprinkle in some oregano, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. This is basically the gist of it. Add a little more wine, salt, pepper, and let it it simmer for a while. When you’re ready to serve, throw some fresh chopped basil and parsley on top