This lovely beet & mushroom bolognese (The First Mess) makes use of naturally sweet beetroot and earthy mushrooms, for a sauce next time you’re cooking pasta. Why buy boring watery tomato sauce, when you could make this instead? The recipe calls for roasted beetroot (to save on cooking bills, find an independent greengrocer that sells them in the morning). Lentils make this creamy cashew-based sauce more filling.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (many human foods are unsafe around animal friends including onion, garlic, mushrooms & fresh pasta dough).
Beetroots are one of England’s most popular vegetables, and also one of the sweetest, which is why it’s often used in cakes and puddings. Full of iron, don’t worry if they (temporarily) turn your pee pink!
Everybody loves a plate of pasta, and you can now buy home-grown pasta in plastic-free packaging. Unless you have a medical condition, be sure to salt the water when cooking pasta. In Italy, if you don’t, it’s called ‘silly pasta!’ Top with vegan Parmesan (conventional Parmesan is not even vegetarian, as it contains a cheese that by law contains calf rennet).
