In Australia right now it’s Winter time! Which means warming soups and delicious hearty meals. Today i share with you the best bolognese recipe i’ve come up with to date with the added bonus of a delicious dairy-free Cashew Cream! I never really ate much red meat when i was young so when i was around 18 and found out my iron levels were low, i started introducing it into my diet. A bowl of bolognese was much more appealing to me than chowing down a slab of meat like steak! Plus since i hadn’t eaten much red meat my body probably wasn’t producing enough of the enzymes and acids needed to digest the meat – something to be mindful of if you’re introducing meat.
I’ve kept this recipe dairy free by adding cashew cream instead of the traditional parmesan cheese and it works a treat! My version of Quick Cashew cream is such a saviour in my kitchen. I make up a big batch and use it on all my savoury dishes for the week. It’s great as a creamy salad dressing or with nachos!
This is a perfect meal to make a big batch of at through a few servings in the freezer for those times when you can’t be bothered cooking or have no time. You could also take some to work for lunch! Stuff like this always tastes better the next day too!
Choosing meat:
I always buy organic, grass fed beef. This ensure’s the meat has the right balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fats and is free of chemicals etc. Cows that are grain fed, unless they are eating organic feed, are potentially consuming GMO corn or soy, which means you are too! So, grass fed, organic, gmo free!
Choosing Pasta:
When it comes to Pasta i like to stick to gluten-free pasta’s that include quinoa for added protein and i also like buckwheat pasta. I avoid gluten-free pastas with soy or corn flour because of the potential GMO’s. Here are a few brands that i quite like here in Australia. Orgran and Olive Green Organics. Basically i stick to pasta that includes these ingredients:
- Brown Rice
- Quinoa
- Amaranth
- Buckwheat
- Millet
- Konjac – Konjac is actually a high protein vegetable.
The Best Bolognese with Cashew Cream
What you need:
- 1kg of organic grass fed beef mince
- 1 cup grated butternut pumpkin
- 2-3 grated carrots
- 2 small brown onions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
- sea salt & pepper
- 1 heaped tsp Coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1000gm organic tomato puree from a glass bottle
- 1 packet Quinoa Pasta or pasta of your choice
- 8 Organic Sundried Tomatoes – in olive oil
Serves 4-5
What to do:
- Preparation: Chop your onions and garlic finely, grate your carrots & pumpkin, chop your basil & sun-dried tomatoes set aside
- Heat your large pan with a heaped tsp of coconut oil. On medium heat cook your onions and garlic until translucent.
- Add your beef and break up the meat with a wooden spoon until nicely separated for your sauce.
- Season with sea salt and pepper and cook meat, stirring occasionally to ensure meat cooks through evenly
- Add your carrot, pumpkin and half the basil. Stir well.
- Add your Tomato puree, sun-dried tomatoes and dijon mustard, stir well.
- Season with Sea salt and pepper.
- Cover with lid on medium heat so the sauce is just simmering. Cook for 30 mins stirring occasionally
- After 30mins i like to stir through the remaining fresh basil
Now to make your Cashew Cream and your pasta
Quick Cashew Cream
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup filtered water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon hulled tahini
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked for 2 hours
Blend all ingredients until smooth 
Now to cook your pasta, follow the instructions on the packet.
Plate up
Finally mix pasta in with sauce or simply plate up pasta and add bolognese sauce and cashew cream on top Enjoy! x
Related posts:
Quinoa TabboulehRaw Zucchini Pesto PastaSugar Free Tomato SalsaHealthy Nachos
