Adzuki Bean Bolognese

 

Adzuki Bean Bolognese

 

By Namit Kathoria

 

Soaking time: Overnight

Preparation time: 20 min

Cooking time: 20 min

 

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:

2-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 jar (500-600g) passata

1 large white onion diced

14 cherry tomatoes halved

3 garlic cloves grated

100g mushrooms sliced

1 aubergine diced

¼ cup tomato puree

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon brown rice miso paste

1 tablespoon tamari sauce

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon hot paprika

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon maple syrup

½ cup dry adzuki beans/ 1 jar (400g) cooked adzuki beans rinsed and drained

1 cup vegetable stock

200g any wholegrain pasta e.g. buckwheat

 

Garnish with:

Fresh basil

 

Preparation:

1. If you use them dry then soak the adzuki beans overnight. The next day rinse and drain them. Cook in an Instant Pot for about 15 minutes with 1 ½ cups of water or in a pressure cooker according to your pressure cooker's instructions.
2. Boil the pasta according to the instructions. Chop the onions, the garlic, the mushrooms and the aubergine. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
3. Heat up the olive oil in a very large pan/wok on a medium to high heat, put in one piece of the onion. Once it starts to sizzle add in the rest of the onion and the cherry tomatoes.
4. After about 5-6 minutes, once the cherry tomatoes have started to become soft and the onion has become translucent, add in the garlic with a little bit more of the olive oil, stirring constantly for about 30 more seconds.
5. Then add in the mushrooms and the aubergine with a little bit more of the olive oil, stirring the whole way through until they become soft, which should take another 5-6 minutes.
6. Add in the tomato puree, the passata, the brown rice miso, the nutritional yeast, the hot paprika, the dried basil, the oregano, the maple syrup, the adzuki beans, the tamari, the vegetable stock and the balsamic vinegar.
7. Boil and simmer for about 10 minutes until the mixture has become nice and thick. Stir whilst you are cooking.
8. Taste and see if you need to add in any more herbs, any more balsamic vinegar or maple syrup.
9. Serve that with the wholegrain pasta and garnish with some fresh basil. If you want to you can also garnish with some more nutritional yeast and some more cherry tomatoes.

 

 

Where does your protein come from?

It comes from a combination of the adzukis beans and the wholegrain pasta, both.of which are good sources of protein and combine to give you all the essential amino acids that your body needs.

 

To get more inspiration for healthy plant-based recipes please see our new nutrition and recipe book “Life” which is due to come out in 2022.