Hi guys.
Today I will share my favourite vegan meal with you, I want to make sure that you know that I'm not a vegan, but I'm trying to incorporate more and more plant-based meals into my life. In this last year, I think I perfected this vegan pasta and I'm very excited to share it with you guys! So here we go :)
I will say that this is not your normal pasta, it's full with veggies en you can even add more if you like. Maybe you want more protein, just add some black beans or chickpeas. Maybe you don't like carrots, just leave the carrots out. Do as you like and make this recipe your own, this is just a guideline on how to make delicious pasta full of veggies.
So, what do you need?
1 pack of pasta of your choice, I really like spaghetti or penne
1000 gram/1 L pasata (make sure there is no salt, or not much salt added, you can always add some yourself)
3 mediums onions
2 cloves of garlic
4 mushrooms, I really like chestnut mushrooms
1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled
2 paprikas
1 zucchini
1 leek
1,5 tablespoon of olive oil
1,5 teaspoon of maple syrup
herbs like oregano, basil, parsley
onion powder, garlic powder and paprika powder
(you can also add, beans, corn, other veggies like eggplant, whatever you like, be creative!)
This is a large recipe, I always make more to store in the fridge, so my boyfriend and I can eat it later in the week for a second time #mealprepping :p
I would say that this is for 4 persons or 3 very hungry men.
Okay, so now you know the ingredients, make sure you cut everything, this will take the most time, but it's worth it! When I'm cooking on my own, I want to start with the onions, garlic, mushrooms and carrots. So you can cut the rest while you have those first ingrediënts in the pan, to save time! My boyfriend likes to help me cutting the veggies when I'm making this dish. This also saves time and it's fun to do together. Tip: rinse the leek carefully as there can be a lot of sand in it, then cut it in small strips.
All the veggies are nicely cut, time to make something of them! Start with heating up a large pan and add some olive oil. Make sure the oil is heated when you add the onions. Stir regularly to make sure they don't burn. When the onions are a little bit 'glassy', add the mushrooms and garlic. Garlic burns fast, so keep stirring! Now it's simply adding the ingrediënts one by one. Add, the carrots first, they need the most time to soften a little. Then add the paprika, stir this through. Then add the zucchini and last but not least at the leek. You want these veggies to be cooked when you add the pasata. Here's a tip to speed up this process: add a tablespoon or 2 of water and add a lid to the pan. This water will steam the veggies so they soften and are cooked faster. I always taste a piece of carrot to see if the veggies are done. When it's nice and soft you can add the pasata!
So, the pasata is added, what now? Well, make sure you set up another pan full of water. When this boils add the pasta of your choice and follow the instructions on the package. Most of the time, pasta needs to be cooked for 8-10 minutes. When the pasta is cooked, drain it. Always taste it before you drain it, just to be sure it is done!
The pasta is cooking and the pasata is added, now you want to make sure the sauce tastes good. In this stage I add the maple syrup, maybe some salt and pepper, Italian herbs, like oregano, basil, parsley, and I add onion powder, garlic powder and paprika powder. I do this by feeling, I just add and taste. If I like it it's done, but sometimes I add more oregano or fresh basil. If you think that flavouring it is hard for you, I would recommend you to add more of one spice. Now you know how this tastes and if you like it. Cooking is trying and learning. It's okay to make mistakes, next time you know what you like better!
Now to finish it off, you want the sauce to be warm. You can leave it on the stove until the pasta is done. Add the pasta to the sauce when it's drained, this can be on your plate of in the pan. And enjoy! I really love this pasta. This is my go-to recipe when I want something healthy and delicious.
I would love to hear if you tried this out and what you think of it. Have a nice day!
Love,
Julia
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