weeknight pesto pasta bolognese

Low and slow on a weekday? Yes you can!

Wow, that sounded real infomercial slut right there.

I avoid cooking pasta for FMG, despite some prowess with sauces (if I can say so myself) because photographing it is the absolute fucking worst artistic roadblock I have at present. As with ice cream or other tender foodstuffs, you have approximately 2 seconds before the noodles soak up all the sauce and the whole carbaceous affair turns into weirdly hued, gummy tendrils of starch.

This week, however, is race week, and that means pasta is a necessity the night prior. I usually whip up some vegetarian meatballs, jarred sauce, and spaghetti, but we’re going full blown homemade in order to ravish in this Weeknight Pesto Pasta Bolognese.

In the past, J and I honed in on what we called “sawce”, which was a huge experiment during COVID. We prepped a huge pot of marinara and just kept sprinkling in this and pouring in that until we reached a happy end result.

This recipe is an homage to that scientific endeavor, bulked up into a “meaty” dish and made weeknight friendly with minimal cook time. Of course, of course, I encourage you to try it out over a longer span if you’ve the time to watch a simmering stove – you can certainly do that with this bolognese, as with any. Vegetarian beef makes this friendly for non-omnivores (nonivores?) and can even be fully vegan if you choose a plant based pesto!

Bolog-YAYs

The prep time of this dish is pretty much all chopping. Yes, every good bolognese requires some slicing and dicing, and this one is no exception. We’ve got onion, celery, and garlic, as well as a fuckload of mushrooms.

I love Impossible beef as a swap for real meat, but if you prefer, buy some regular and use 1 whole pound instead of the 12 ounces since that is a more practical measurement for meat.

Heat lots of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Yes, 1/4 cup is correct – since vegetarian beef and veggies don’t have a lot of fat, it is imperative that we add a healthy dose. Stir in your beef, mushrooms, onion, and celery and cook until the beef browns and the veg softens.

Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, then swirl in tomato paste and pesto. I bought a jar this time around because I was lazy, but this is my favorite homemade recipe!

Dump in your can of crushed tomatoes and some vegetable broth, and sprinkle in some salt and pepper. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the sauce, and let it bubble and hum for at least 20 minutes. As you go, stir the sauce, add some broth if needed, and taste for seasonings. You can certainly simmer the sauce for the entire day if you wish, just make sure to check for water and add more liquid intermittently.

You will need a couple teaspoons of sugar to cut down the tomatoes’ acidity, more if you use a lower quality of crushed tomatoes. Add a single teaspoon and let the sauce do its thang, then if a taste test still yields a slightly bitter sauce, add another teaspoon. Something fucked if you need more than three teaspoons, so keep that in mind.

Close to serving time, boil some water and cook up your favorite pasta. Any cut will do, but I love mezzi rigatoni best.

Dish out your noods and your sawce, grate lots of fresh parmesan over top, and garnish with some sprigs of fresh basil. We have this rampant mini basil plant that I am loving on all sorts of foods lately.

If storing, separate the pasta from the sauce unless you don’t mind the noodles absorbing every bit of liquid there is. Both will keep up to 5 days. The sauce freezes AMAZINGLY and will last, properly sealed for up to 3 months.

Here’s hoping this carb-tastic meal will help me throw down a respectable 10K this weekend. As for you, it should at the very least lend some fulfillment and nourishment to your tummy and your soul.

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Cozy pasta for cozy nights:

One Pot Cheesy Baked Pizza Pasta

One Pot Parmesan “Bacon” and Asparagus Pasta

One Pot Butternut Squash Ricotta Pasta with Crispy Sage

Baked Pesto Alla Vodka Rigatoni

Roasted Butternut Squash Alla Vodka and Cheese Stuffed Shells