Mushroom Walnut Bolognese

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I got a giant bag of walnuts from Costco the other day so I’ve been putting them in my salads, eating them plain, trying to find new ways to use them and last night I created my very own walnut mushroom bolognese. I can’t say I invented the concoction but I must say my version is probably the BEST I’ve ever had! It’s a combination between multiple recipes and kind of what I thought would taste good and omg I never want to go to Olive Garden again!! You can’t even taste the mushrooms or walnuts but it mimicked the texture to ground beef but the taste was 110% better!

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You’ll want to have a food processor but blender could work you just have to make sure it doesn’t blend your food because you want it to have a crumbly “ground beef” texture. You’ll pulse the mushrooms, walnuts, and flour till its crumbly. You can use any flour. I randomly had tapioca (a random flour to have in my kitchen, I know).

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Heat your mushroom mixture on a saucepan then rinse your food processor. Since there’s no meat, no need to worry about cross contamination 🙂

Now pulse your carrots, onions, garlic, and celery then heat up in a different sauce pan.

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Did you know that the French culinary term for carrots, celery, and onion is mirepoix. Learned that in my culinary class 😛 Mirepoix are these three vegetables that are diced small and cooked for a long time on gentle heat without coloring or browning. The point of it is to release its aromatic flavorings. And did you know the more carrots you add the sweeter it gets. So if you like your sauces a little sweeter, just add more carrots. I know some people put sugar in their sauces! Just add natural sweetness 🙂

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Once your mirepoix is cooked, and its flavors released, add the canned tomatoes and tomato sauce and mix well. Then add your spices. I played around with my spices adjusting as needed. Let it then simmer on low and let all your flavorings come together for about 5 minutes. Then combine your mushroom mixture to your mirepoix and tomatoes and let simmer for an additional 5-10mins.

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As the bolognese sauce continues to simmer and its flavors come together, go ahead and make your pasta. You  can make your pasta of choice. I used whole wheat spaghetti but you could try using zoodles (spiralized zucchini), or spaghetti squash, quinoa pasta (keep it gluten free), or even white pasta if you want.

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Once the pasta is ready, add your bolognese sauce and there you go. You can add chopped fresh basil, parmesan cheese or even nutritional yeast keeping it dairy free, which is what I later did.

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What’s in it for mom and baby?

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Mushrooms are a great source of Vitamin D, which helps with bone development, immunity, and absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorus. Walnuts are an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids which are critical for baby’s brain development. The tomatoes and pasta sauce are a great source of vitamin C, which aid in tissue repair, collagen development, bone growth and repair. It also acts as an antioxidant, which protect your cells from damage. Vitamin C also helps your body absorb more iron, which is essential during pregnancy as it carries oxygen through your bloodstream to your baby. The whole wheat pasta is a great source of B vitamins as well as fiber, which keeps you regular 🙂

Sure you can get these nutrients in your prenatal vitamins, however prenatals don’t actually cover everything you need. Your body also absorbs these nutrients better from food sources because they work synergistically.

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I highly recommend making a second batch and freezing it, especially in the final days before you give birth, you’ll be happy to have ready-to-go meals when you’re tired and trying to work on breastfeeding and adapting to a new baby. This nutritious meal will give you the energy to keep on going; plus it’s a really easy meal to freeze.

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Just a side note, as I was writing this blog post, it made my mouth salivate for it again so I’m currently eating some leftovers – its just that good. Let me know what you think!

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