Kohlrabi Spaghetti and Kale-Mushroom Bolognese
Try this Kohlrabi Spaghetti and Kale-Mushroom Bolognese recipe.
Try this Kohlrabi Spaghetti and Kale-Mushroom Bolognese recipe.
- 1 garlic clove minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 celery stalk finely diced
- 1 carrot, peeled finely diced
- 1/2 cup cremini mushrooms finely diced
- 2 tablespoons fabulous red wine (cabernet works perfectly)
- 1/2 pound 80 percent lean ground beef
- 1 14.5 ounce can organic crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup finely chopped kale leaves
- 2 medium kohlrabis blade c noodles trimmed
- 2 basil leaves sliced thinly (for garnish)
- Carbohydrate 3.86470416579412 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 4.41245416664498 g
- Fiber 0.889791672239267 g
- Protein 0.963866666467333 g
- Saturated Fat 0.618552333328719 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (131g)
- Sodium 332.850357634367 mg
- Sugar 2.97491249355485 g
- Trans Fat 0.152119416660069 g
- Calories 56 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large stockpot over medium heat, warm the olive oil.
- Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
- Add the celery and carrot and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and garlic cook for 5 minutes more, or until all the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the tomato paste, and stir to coat all the vegetables.
- Saute for an additional 5 minutes to deepen and develop the flavor.
- Add the meat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to break up any large pieces, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, add the red wine and deglaze the pan.
- Cook until all the alcohol has evaporated and the brown bits have released from the bottom of the pan, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and the sea salt.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Five minutes before the sauce is ready, add the kale to the sauce and then also place a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray.
- Once heated, add in the kohlrabi noodles, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes for al dente or longer for your preference.
- Note that you may need to cook the kohlrabi noodles in batches (or use a wok for extra room.)
- Divide the kohlrabi noodles into bowls and top with the finished sauce and garnish with basil.
Traditional pasta Bolognese relies on heavy starches to hold a sauce, whereas this lighter vegetable-forward preparation trades wheat strands for spiralized kohlrabi while building the exact same foundational meat sauce. Building this dish economically requires careful attention to moisture, because rushing the initial vegetable sweat will leave too much water in the pan and prevent the ground beef from browning properly.
Avoiding Common Technique Pitfalls
The single most frequent error home cooks make with this dish is crowding the skillet when cooking the kohlrabi noodles, which causes them to steam into mush rather than maintaining an al dente bite within three to five minutes. Mushrooms also trap significant internal moisture; finely dicing the cremini and cooking them until every drop of liquid completely evaporates is mandatory before adding the tomato paste, otherwise the paste will boil instead of caramelizing and developing deep savory depth. Deglazing the pan with red wine over medium-high heat requires scraping the bottom vigorously with a wooden spoon to dissolve the fond, the caramelized protein bits that supply much of the sauce's underlying richness during the thirty-five minute simmer.
Flavor Development and Chemical Interaction
As the crushed tomatoes simmer with the aromatics and meat, amino acids from the beef combine with reducing sugars in the onions, carrots, and tomatoes through non-enzymatic browning reactions that generate complex savory compounds known as umami. Introducing the chopped kale just five minutes before the sauce finishes ensures the greens soften without losing their vibrant chlorophyll color or developing bitter sulfurous off-flavors caused by overcooking.
