Ingredients

4 carrots
2 C button mushrooms
3 green bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
2 white onions - the bigger the better
6-8 minced garlic cloves
1/3 C olive oil
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 bay leaves
1/2 C red wine (optional)
2 - 28oz cans of diced tomatoes - salt free
2 - 28oz cans of ground tomatoes - salt free
1 pkg OR 340g original veggie ground round (optional)

**makes about 10-12 servings

A classic family favourite, and the best bolognese sauce around. As a pasta LOVER this super tasty, nutrient rich sauce has been a tradition for years in my family so I thought it was time to share a plant based version. Grab a glass of wine, start cooking and enjoy!

Instruction

Before you begin, wash and prep the veggies. A food processor or high powered blender will speed up the prep time of this recipe but is not necessary. If you don't have one just use a sharp knife and dice everything as small as possible.
Add each vegetable separately to the food processor as this is a large batch of sauce and probably wont fit more than one at a time. Process until everything is chopped to a very small dice and is relatively the same size. Set aside in bowls.
In a large sauce pot sauté the ground veggie round and diced onions in olive oil with a pinch of s + p on medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the diced veggies and the oregano, basil, minced garlic, chili flakes, brown sugar, chili powder, s + p and bay leaves. Cook for 5 minutes stirring often.
Add the cans of diced and ground tomatoes to the pot. Give everything a stir and bring to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes stirring often. Now that the sauce has had some time to build flavour add the red wine, cover and simmer for another 30 minutes stirring often.
The longer this sauce sits the better it tastes so I turn the heat off after the hour mark and let it sit in the pot covered for as long as possible. When you are ready to eat remove the bay leaves and serve with pasta, quinoa, rice noodles or even as a topping on a loaded baked potato. I love this bolognese sauce because it makes such a huge batch. I let the sauce cool completely and separate into containers, then freeze for a quick, healthy dinner option.