The Georgia heat is upon us full force, and I am always trying to find ways to cook a nutritious meal without heating up the kitchen. Serving salads are a staple during this time of year, but sometimes I want something heartier.
That's when I pull out my Instant Pot and create a quick meal that does not warm up the kitchen or require me to go outside and cook over a hot grill. So, I decided to make my own version of bolognese.
Bolognese is usually simmered slowly for several hours until the ingredients all marry together creating a thick sauce perfect served over pasta. However, using the Instant Pot creates this thick vegan version of sauce in only 20 minutes of cooking time.
What Is Bolognese?
Bolognese usually is a meat-based sauce, originating from Bologna, Italy. The sauce has just a bit of tomato for flavor, while the rest is meat, spices, and liquids which are generally wine and milk.
Bolognese is simmered slowly for several hours until the ingredients all marry together creating a thick sauce perfect served over pasta.
What Is Vegan Bolognese?
Vegan Bolognese is a play on the hearty meat sauce which exchanges it meaty texture with very finly chopped cauliflowwer, carrots, mushrooms and eggplant.
The base is still the traditional seasonings of tomatoes, garlic, oregano, basil, and rosemary. For the liquid milk is substituted with almond milk.
The sauce is lightly sweetened with maple syrup which brings out the flavor of the tomatoes and a little kick of heat is added with crushed red pepper flakes.
I found my recipe in The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook For The Instant Pot I tweaked it just a bit to spice it up for my hubby's liking.
For another great Italian sauce recipe be sure and try my Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes. The rich, delicious flavor of this homemade spaghetti sauce with fresh tomatoes is like stepping into a sweet Italian grandma’s kitchen, smelling the aroma of tomatoes and garlic roasting creating anticipation to the delicious bowl of spaghetti you soon will be eating.
MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES
- Instant Pot Coconut Rice (this would go great with this simple dal recipe)
- Instant Pot Roast Beef and Lots of Gravy
- Indian Toor Dal Instant Pot Recipe With Rice
- Instant Pot Applesauce
- Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
Instant Pot Vegan Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cauliflower florets
- 1 10 oz container mushrooms
- 2 cups shredded carrot
- 2 cups eggplant chunks
- 2 - 28 oz cans stewed tomatoes
- 1 cup almond milk
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 1/2 dried rosemary chopped fine
- 2 teaspoons Homemade Zesty Italian Season and Dressing Mix link
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons crushed red peppers
Instructions
- Add the cauliflower florets to the food processor and pulse until the pieces are tiny about the size of couscous. Scrape out into your Instant Pot liner.
- Now add the mushrooms to the food processor and pulse until small, then add them to your Instant Pot liner. Repeat with the carrots, and eggplants until all the vegetables are minced and placed into your Instant Pot.
- Place stewed tomatoes into the food processor and pulse for a few times, just to get them in small pieces. Pour into the Instant Pot liner.
- Mix in almond milk, tomato paste, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, oregano, basil, salt, and rosemary.
- Cook on manual with high pressure for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Serve with chopped fresh basil over pasta of your choice.
Notes
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