Serves 4 guests
Preparation time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
Spaghetti:
1lb Whole Wheat Spaghetti
1 Jar Tomato Sauce (24 ounces)
½ cup Carrots (peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces)
½ cup Parsnips (peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces)
½ cup Celeriac (peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces)
½ cup Yellow Beets (peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces)
½ cup Turnips (peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces)
1 pc Red Onion (peeled and diced)
2 pc Garlic Cloves
¼ cup Basil (finely cut)
¼ cup Parsley (finely cut)
¼ cup Olive Oil
1 Sprig of Thyme
1 cup Thomasville Tomme Cheese (grated like parmesan)
Salt and Pepper
Beets:
12 pc Baby Yellow Beets
12 pc Baby Candy stripe Beets
1 tsp Caraway Seeds
Salt
Preparation:
Spaghetti:
Place a large pot with hot water and a table spoon of oil on the stove and bring to boil.
Cook Spaghetti for about 10 minutes or until al dente.
Meanwhile in a large pot sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent.
Then add all vegetables and thyme and sauté until lightly browned.
Add the tomato sauce and bring to boil.
Season with salt and pepper and simmer for ½ hour until all ingredients are soft.
(You might have to add water in case the sauce is reducing too much.)
Strain through a food mill with large holes and add the basil and parsley.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Drain the spaghetti and toss with the cheese and the beets in the vegetable bolognaise.
Beets:
In a large pot bring water to boil and season with caraway seeds and salt.
Add beets and cook for about 20 minutes until the beets are soft.
Remove beets and cool down in ice water just so that they are cold enough to peel. Just like peeled potatoes.
Peel the skin of the beets which should be very easy and add the beets straight into the vegetable bolognaise.
This dish is fun, tasteful, healthy and probably the best way to cheat your kids into eating beets!
You can also cook the beets separately. Sauté them with olive oil and place them on top of the spaghetti. This might be a nicer presentation.
I also like to garnish with big shavings of Tomme cheese and picked, fresh basil leaves.
If don’t have Thomasville Tomme you can substitute with Parmesan or Manchego.
I like this dish also with Penne pasta or Raviolis and you don’t have to worry about your table cloth as much
And if you really don’t like beets, tofu “meatballs” are a great substitution!