Jackfruit Bolognese Pasta
You really just can’t beat a nourishing bowl of pasta. It just speaks to my soul.
And I love a good Bolognese sauce because not only does it remind me of my childhood, but it’s also a fab way to pack in a bunch of veggies, that makes that bowl of pasta a whole lot more wholesome.
You may have heard of jackfruit before. It’s a very large, spiky, scary looking fruit that grows in Indonesia. When it’s ripe, it as a super sweet, bubblegum-like taste. But the young green (unripe) kind is more neutral or savoury, and commonly used as a meat alternative for plant based meals due to its very ‘meaty’ texture - scarily similar to pulled pork!
And that makes it a perfect addition to this Bolognese Pasta to make it into a ‘pulled pork ragu’ style sauce. Just yum!
You can find jackfruit usually in the canned vegetable or Asian aisle of your supermarket, or in an Asian grocer. Just make sure it’s the young green kind, not the sweet, syrupy ripe one, or you’ll have a very interesting bowl of pasta!
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
1 small brown onion
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tbsp dried mixed herbs
1 tin tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
200g canned young green jackfruit, drained
Handful of baby spinach
1 pack spaghetti of your choice (I used San Remo Pulse Pasta)
Basil, black pepper + salt, to serve
Method:
Chop your veggies and mince garlic. Sauté onion, garlic, carrot and celery in a non-stick pan until just soft.
Add tinned tomato, tomato paste, paprika, herbs and 1 cup water and simmer for 20-30 minutes until sauce thickens.
Cook pasta according to packet directions.
Shred jackfruit with a fork, stir into sauce together with spinach and season with salt and pepper.
Combine pasta with sauce, then serve topped with fresh basil. Add nutritional yeast, cashew parmesan or my homemade vegan mozzarella for some extra deliciousness!!
