Red foods are the best! I could never say no to this big bowl of luscious pasta. This time I made the vegan Bolognese sauce with almonds. I just crushed the almonds and mixed them into a juicy and garlicky tomato sauce. It came out so delicious! Crushed almonds make the tomato sauce pleasantly mild and filling. They also give a nice and slightly grainy texture. I mixed in some gluten-free tagliatelle and a fabulous dinner was born! The tagliatelle, by the way, was almost identical to a regular wheat pasta. I will tell you more in a bit!
First I have to tell you why I walked around like a 120-year old for a couple of days! I went to a self-defence class on Saturday and it lasted for 6 (!) hours. The description was pretty modest: we will learn some techniques and hear some tips. But the reality was a hardcore boot camp! I'm glad I wore my running outfit, because I was sweating buckets. And it was awesome! We learned how to fall properly, how to free ourselves from different firm holds and of course - how to punch and kick with our fists and legs. I was so toast after the training. More tired than post half-marathon. I'm walking like my old self by now and I'm guessing that yesterday's crispy and sunny run was a big help.
Today I was back in the kitchen and cooking this delicious pasta dish. I used Peak's gluten-free tagliatelle that are made of corn and rice flour. For me, there wasn't any difference with regular pasta. Especially if the tagliatelle was sunk into a hearty pasta sauce. I'm not sure if US has Peak's' products. But I'm sure you have other great gluten free brands. You can always use regular pasta or rice noodles in this dish. Warm wishes from cold and snowy Estonia!
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves: 3 - 4 people
Serves: 3 - 4 people
- 8,8 oz / 250 g gluten free tagliatelle or regular pasta
- 1 cup / 150 g almonds (not peeled)
- 1 onion
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp (unrefined) sugar
- 1 ¾ cup / 500 g tomato sauce
- ½ cup / 120 ml hot water
Directions:
Boil the tagliatelle in plenty of water for 10 - 12 minutes. In the meantime, crush the almonds. I poured the almonds into a deep bowl and then crushed them with an immersion blender. You can use a food processor, too. No problem, if the crushed almonds have some bigger chunks in them. Set the almonds aside.
Peel the onion, cut it into four pieces and slice. Heat up a pan or a sauce pan. Pour some oil in it and add sliced onions. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add chopped garlic, salt, pepper, sugar and crushed almonds. Cook for a minute. Add tomato sauce and hot water. Stir and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Drain the pasta and mix in the tomato sauce. Serve right away! If you want to re-heat the pasta, you can add a dash of hot water.
