Vegetarian Bolognese With Butternut Squash Noodles

Today’s recipe is for all of my vegetarian friends, but admittedly, it’s packed full of flavor, so even the biggest of meat eaters should consider giving it a try. Dane gives my Vegetarian Bolognese with Butternut Squash Noodles two thumbs up…and he loves a nice piece of meat! This recipe is a combination of two recipes — Nadine’s Princess Pasta (a recipe that has been on heavy rotation since she shared it) and an attempt at recreating the delicious vegetarian bolognese I had at Giada’s restaurant during our trip to Las Vegas. I think vegetarian recipes sometimes get a bad reputation for being 1. too light or 2. not hearty enough. I can promise you one thing – this vegetarian bolognese dish is neither. Let’s dive in to my Vegetarian Bolognese With Butternut Squash Noodles recipe, shall we?

Vegetarian Bolognese With Butternut Squash Noodles

First things first – this isn’t a red sauce, or ragu, that one might normally consider a bolognese, so if that is what you’ve come for – I’m sorry to disappoint. Though, I promise this veggie-packed dish is equally delicious and more along the lines of a white bolognese a la Locanda Verde in NYC, without the meat of course. But I’m getting off track…the recipe!

This vegetable-based recipe comes together in about an hour and all of the ingredients can be found in your local grocery store — no need for a fancy grocer! The one thing that strikes me about this vegetable bolognese is how few ingredients are involved and how little you need for so much flavor.

Two options worth nothing is that this recipe is equally good served over Green Giant Zucchini Spirals — I’ve sampled it with both — and as far as the vegetable bolognese base, I think that adding celery or carrots to create an earthier flavor would be really good.

Vegetarian Bolognese With Butternut Squash Noodles

To make Vegetarian Bolognese With Butternut Squash Noodles at home, you will need:

1 yellow onion, diced

1 tbsp. olive oil or ghee

2 small zucchini, peeled and cubed

2 small eggplant, peeled and cubed

**NOTE: You can absolutely leave the skin on both the zucchini and the eggplant, I just prefer skin removed so I quickly use a vegetable peeler before chopping.**

2 tbsp. Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian Base

1 cup water

about 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast (more or less depending on taste!)

salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

2 bags Green Giant Butternut Squash Spirals

1. In a large pot, sauté onions in olive oil or ghee over medium heat.

2. When onions are translucent, add in cubed zucchini, cubed eggplant, vegetarian Better Than Bouillon base and 1 cup water.

3. Stir the pot to make sure the Better Than Bouillon is equally distributed and cover.

4. When the mixture begins to boil, take off the lid and smash the (now soft) zucchini and eggplant using a potato masher. You could also use a spatula, but be careful — your hand will get really hot! Once smashed, stir the mixture and put the lid back on.

5. In about 15 minutes, check on the pot. You’ll notice that the mixture is thickening and becoming a sauce with a decreasing amount of water. If you see chunks you may have missed, feel free to mash some more! We are not big fans of chunks in this house, so I like to make it as smooth as possible. Re-cover for an additional 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to make sure the mixture isn’t sticking to the bottom of your pot.

6. While the sauce is finishing up, remove your packages of Green Giant Butternut Squash Noodles from the freezer and microwave according to the package. Make sure you drain out any excess liquid!

7. When no liquid remains at the top of your sauce, sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and mix well. Add in salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to taste.

8. Plate your butternut squash noodles and top with a heaping spoonful of vegetarian bolognese.

9. Garnish with additional crushed red pepper if you like it spicy (totally optional!) + serve immediately.

This meal serves 4 people. If you are cooking for less, only make one bag of Spirals and refrigerate or freeze the sauce for next time. It freezes wonderfully and is a great option to thaw quickly for weeknight meals on the go. Trust me when I say that this combo hits our dinner table frequently. Happy cooking!