vegetable ragú with miso

During those cold winter months, nothing’s more delicious than long and slowly simmered stews to give us warmth and comfort. While I love salads because of their vibrant colors and crunchy texture, I’d much rather eat warm and hot dished during the winter time. This vegetable ragú with miso provides that comfort, while also providing us with the nutrients that we need to stay healthy. 

I’ve added carrots, cellery, mushrooms, aubergine, and kidney beans to this tomato based sauce and let it simmer together with red wine and miso. The result is a rich and hearty sauce that’s delicious served over pasta or spiralized zucchini pasta. I’ve also added a small amount of organic ground beef, but this is optional. You could leave it out or replace with more vegetables of choice.

The addition of miso makes this dish even more delicious,. Miso is a healthy condiment because of its probiotic properties, which helps out your gut microbes, so eating it regularly may benefit your health a great deal. But aside from its health effects, it’s a condiment that provides dishes with a delicious umami flavor.

This dish is also great if you’re looking for a way to use up those vegetables in your fridge that you would otherwise throw away. You can use all sorts of veggies, as this recipe is really versatile. If you have the time, let the ragú cook for longer than the recipe states, as that will make the sauce even more tasty because it will give it the time to develop the rich flavors we all enjoy. And as with a lot of stews, the taste will become even better the next day.

Enjoy this delicious and healthy ragú with your favorite (wholewheat) pasta of choice or even zucchini noodles for a comforting and warming meal that will give you the much needed energy during these cold days.

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized onions, peeled and chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 150 grams organic ground beef (optional)
• 2 medium sized carrots, diced
• 4 cellery stalks, diced
• 200 grams mushrooms, diced
• 1 can of kidney beans, drained ( drained weight: 240 grams)
• 1 aubergine, diced
• 140 grams of concentrated tomato paste ( about 2 tbsp)
• 500 ml. broth
• 100 ml. red wine 
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp fresh herbs ( oregano, thyme, rosemary) or 1 tsp dried
• 3 tbsp honey, agave or erythritol
• salt + pepper, to taste 
• olive oil

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion and garlic until translucent and fragrant.
2. If using, add the ground beef and saute until almost cooked through.
3. Add the carrots and cellery and cook it for another 5 min. Then, add the tomato paste, miso, honey and red wine to the pan and stir through.
4. Add all the remaining vegetables to the pan and add the broth. Let it come to a boil, set on a low heat and let it cook about 45 minutes with the lid on.
5. Add the drained kidney beans and cook for another five minutes. If the sauce is still too runny, let it simmer for longer, or if you’re in a rush: make a slurry by mixing  a ladle full of sauce with 2 tsp of corn starch to thicken the sauce a bit. Stir the slurry through the sauce and let thicken.
6. Season generously with salt and pepper if neccesary. Serve over cooked pasta or/and zuchini/veggie noodles and if you wish, some grated cheese.