White Bean Bolognese

Bolognese is one of those foodie dishes that I never had before I was a vegetarian. I always wanted to make it but with an extensive ingredient list (including 3 types of meat!) it was always too expensive to make. Enter a vegetarian version and it goes from expensive to completely affordable....not to mention delicious!

White Bean Bolognese
based heavily on Eating Well's recipe
serves 3

• 1 cup white beans, rinsed and drained, divided
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• 1/4 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 6 oz fettucine, cooked according to package directions
• 3 Tb. Parmesan

Boil pasta. Mash 1/2 cup beans with a fork. 

I got to use my fancy schmancy chopper for this recipe. It was a lifesaver. So quick! So even! 

Look at that!! I've never seen such beautifully even chopped veggies. Not in my kitchen, at least. ;)

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Chop onion, carrots, and celery. Add veggies and salt to saucepan. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf and cook just until fragrant, 15-30 seconds. 

Add wine and increase heat to medium-high. Boil 3-4 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. You can use vegetable broth if you don't have/want wine but the flavor won't be as good.   

Add tomatoes (and their juices), Italian seasoning, and mashed beans. Bring to a low boil and let cook 6 minutes, or until thickened. 

Add the remaining whole beans and heat to warm, about 1-2 minutes, stirring.

Serve over pasta and enjoy!

Nutritional Information (for 1/3 sauce, 2 oz vegetable pasta, and 1 Tb. Parm): 410 calories, 7.4g fat (1.5g sat), 67g carbs, 11g fiber, 16g protein

I absolutely loved this dish. It was such a fresh take on pasta dishes. I used vegetable pasta because I had it in the pantry but this would work fine over any thick pasta, especially whole wheat!