Recipe: Miso bolognese

Miso bolognese is an example of fusion cuisine done well, if I may say so. Miso is just another way of adding umami to the classic pasta sauce.

This recipe is gluten-free if you use suitable pasta. I used red miso paste but you can use any colour. I use Feather and Bone’s organic beef mince with organs for added nutrition but plain ground beef, pork, veal, turkey or a combination would work well.

You may serve this sauce with your favourite pasta (gluten-free such as this one or this one, or otherwise) or pasta substitute, such as zucchini “noodles” (zoodles), konjac noodles, steamed vegetables, etc.

Miso bolognese

• Servings: 5-6
• Time: 45 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 kg beef mince (I used beef mince with organs)
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic, minced
• 1 small leek, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely diced
• 1/4 cup red miso
• 750ml passata (tomato purée)
• 1 cup beef broth or stock
• 200g mushrooms
• 1 tsp salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 100g spinach or baby spinach leaves

To serve

• your favourite pasta or substitute
• grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add mince and brown. Reserve.
2. Lower heat, add 1 tbsp oil to the pot along with onion, garlic, leek and carrot. Cook until soft (around 10 minutes), stirring often.
3. Add mince, miso, passata, broth, mushrooms, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add spinach at the end of cooking.
4. In the meantime, cook pasta or pasta substitute.
5. Serve however you prefer (sauce mixed with pasta or over pasta) with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.