Roast Eggplant and Kale Bolognese
Roast Eggplant and Kale Bolognese is the perfect sauce for a hearty, healthy meal that's easy to prepare and freezes well too. Gluten free and dairy free.
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Servings: 4 to 6 serves
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large eggplant
- 1 brown onion
- 1 red capsicum
- 5 large kale leaves (I typically use dark curly kale)
- 1 cup frozen peas - OPTIONAL
- 200 grams veal mince *
- 300 grams pork mince * - you can just use 500 grams of pork mince to make things easier!
- 500 mL tomato passata
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp dried Italian herb mix
- 2 tsp dried garlic granules/flakes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to season
- extra virgin olive oil for cooking
- pasta of choice, to serve
Instructions
Make the eggplant
- Preheat oven to 180 C and line an oven tray with baking paper.
- Dice the eggplant into thick cubes; about 1.5-2cm thickness. Spread out on the lined tray and drizzle over 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for approximately 25 minutes - continue with the rest of the recipe while it’s roasting.
Make the sauce
- Finely slice and onion and capsicum. Rinse the kale leaves but set them aside for now. Get the mince out of the fridge and have that ready to go, together with the rest of the sauce ingredients.
- Heat a large deep sauté pan or saucepan to a high heat on the stove. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil plus the onion and capsicum to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is golden and translucent and capsicum is softened.
- Add the mince to the pan and continue to cook, stirring and breaking up the mince so it cooks evenly. As it’s browning, add the garlic, mixed herbs, smoked paprika and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Once the mince is almost browned through (a few pink patches are okay), pour in the passata and the balsamic vinegar and give it all a good stir. Reduce the heat so the sauce is gently simmering.
- While the sauce is simmering, grab the kale leaves. Tear the tender leaves from the rough centre stalk, doing it in small pieces and chucking them right into the pan. Keep stirring the sauce as you do it, so the kale cooks into the sauce. If you're using the frozen peas as well, add these at the same time.
- Cook the sauce for 10-15 minutes in total. If the sauce gets too thick, add water as it’s cooking.
- As the sauce is finishing, your eggplant should be done. Pop the roasted eggplant into the pan too and stir it through the sauce. Taste test and add extra salt and pepper or other spices as desired.
Make the pasta and serve
- Cook your chosen pasta according to the packet instructions.
- Serve up portions of pasta topped with the bolognese sauce. A little sprinkle of grated parmesan, crumbled feta and some nutritional yeast flakes (for dairy free) is always a good idea!
Notes
*As noted above, you can just make this recipe using 500 grams of pork mince rather than a pork/veal mix. My local supermarket sells a pre-mixed blend of the two which is what I have used a few times when making this.
*WINE OPTION! If you like, you can swap the balsamic vinegar for 1/3 cup red wine.
*The dried garlic can be substituted for 1-2 cloves (depending on size and taste preference) of fresh garlic, finely chopped.
*DON'T EAT RED MEAT/MEAT? I realise some of my readers may love the look of this but may not eat meat, or may not eat red meat. You can make this same sauce and use (i) turkey mince if you choose not to eat red meat, or (ii) cooked brown lentils (yes you can use tinned) in place of the mince if you choose not to eat meat at all.
Have you made this recipe?I love seeing your creations! Take a photo and then tag me @nourish.everyday on Instagram!