Pasta Bolognese: if my girls could eat this every night they would. “Roni’s,” tomato sauce, and a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, this is one of those dishes I have to make a big batch of and use for at least 2 dinners and sometimes a lunch. My 2-year old has even been known to down 3 bowls of it in one sitting. It is that good. And as you can see by the title, it has 5 vegetables in it!
If you follow my blog, you know I’m not a fan of hiding or sneaking veggies in my kids’ food, instead I let the veggies shine. The onions, carrots, squash and red peppers all serve a purpose and that is to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes with their natural sweetness (no sugar needed). Add the protein of your choice and you have a meal that is balanced in every way. Full of fiber, calcium, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, this is a meal your little ones will happily devour. Enjoy!
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 1 red pepper, cored and roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
- 1 cup peeled and chopped butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon each dried oregano and basil
- 1 pound lean ground meat (chicken, turkey or grass-fed beef)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large can or box of copped tomatoes (28oz.)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling
- ¾ pound whole-wheat elbow pasta (or other small pasta such as penne or spirals)
- In a food processor, add onions, pulse until finely diced. Set aside. Add red pepper, carrots and squash to food processor and pulse until very finely chopped/shredded.
- Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add chopped vegetable mix and sauté an additional 8-10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, oregano and basil, cook an additional 1 minute.
- Add ground meat and salt and continue to cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, an additional 4-5 minutes, until cooked though.
- Stir in chopped tomatoes, increase heat, bring to a light boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add parmesan cheese and cook an additional 20 minutes, until mixture has thickened.
- During the last 20 minutes of cooking the tomato sauce, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain (about 8-10 minutes).
- Serve bolognese over pasta and sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.
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