Penne Rigate with vegetable Bolognese

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g carrot(s)
• 1 celeriac
• 1 red bell pepper(s)
• 2 eggplant(s)
• 6 tomatoes
• 300 g zucchini
• 150 g shallot(s)
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• chili flakes
• 10 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Sugar
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 200 ml red wine
• pepper
• ½ bunch parsley
• 500 g penne rigate
• Parmesan

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

vegetarian

Clean and peel the carrots and celery, deseed and wash the bell peppers, and cut everything into small cubes. Wash and clean the eggplant, tomatoes, and zucchini, and also dice them finely. Dice the shallots and peel the garlic cloves. Heat 2/3 of the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the shallots and crushed garlic over medium heat for about 3 minutes until translucent. Add the carrots, celery, and eggplant and sauté for another 5 minutes, seasoning each with a pinch of salt and sugar. Stir in the tomato paste and sauté briefly. Deglaze with red wine and reduce until reduced. Add the tomatoes and bring everything to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes. The red wine and eggplant give it a color and consistency reminiscent of a “real Bolognese.” Heat the remaining olive oil in a pan and sauté the bell pepper and zucchini cubes over high heat for about 4-5 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Wash and finely chop the parsley. Cook the penne rigate and reserve some of the pasta water. Mix this with the pasta, Bolognese, and roasted vegetables in a large pot. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve the vegetable Bolognese in deep bowls and grate Parmesan cheese over the top. You can also make the Bolognese alcohol-free for children by replacing the red wine with vegetable broth. This won’t give it the characteristic dark color, but it’s more suitable for children.