The first early summer days invite you to finally spend more time outdoors again. Walk barefoot, soak up the sun and replenish your energy reserves. So it’s all right to speed things up a bit in the kitchen. This Ayurvedic pasta variation is just the thing – it is light and delicious, with Mediterranean flavours and cooks itself.

Pasta is a wonderful dish – it is versatile and for many an absolute feel-good food. But Ayurveda and pasta? Yes, that works too. After all, Ayurvedic teachings do not say that we should eat Indian food, but rather in a way that is beneficial for our individual well-being.

Cooking pasta ayurvedically

According to Ayurveda, classic noodles made from durum wheat contain mainly the earth element and have sticky properties. Those who like to eat the conventional variety ideally choose stimulating and light sauces to go with it. However, we have used organic rice noodles for this recipe, which are particularly easy to digest. In good quality, they are almost in no way inferior to the original.

Most vegetarian bolognese recipes are with lentils. Jackfruit is a not-so-regional but very tasty alternative. Jackfruit is eaten as a fruit in many South Asian countries, but is especially often used as an ingredient in a curry. It is very easy to digest and its special feature is its fibrous consistency, which is why it is often used as a meat substitute. You can buy fresh jackfruit in Asian supermarkets. If you are in a hurry, you can also use jackfruit from a jar or can, which is now available in almost all organic supermarkets.

Recipe for Ayurveda Bolognese (for 4 servings)

Ingredients:

400 g rice noodles (alternatively e.g. spelt, buckwheat or lentil noodles). spelt, buckwheat or lentil noodles) – 300 g fresh jackfruit (or 1 can of organic jackfruit, drained weight 280 g) – 800 g fully ripe tomatoes – 4 tbsp olive oil – 1 red onion – 2 cloves of garlic – 2 stalks of celery – 3 carrots – A few stalks of fresh basil – 2 tsp thyme, ground or freshly chopped – 1 tsp sage, ground or freshly chopped – 1 pinch date sugar – Rock salt – Black pepper

Optional: Parmesan or vegan alternative

Preparation:

Fresh jackfruit: Cook the flesh over a low heat for approx. 20 minutes.
Canned organic jackfruit: Rinse and drain, chop coarsely.

Peel and finely dice the onion, garlic and carrots. Chop the celery. Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onion and garlic. Then add the carrots, celery, thyme and sage and sauté briefly.

Add the jackfruit and fry for about 5-7 minutes. Allow a few roasted aromas to develop. Now add the tomatoes and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes until a sauce has formed. Season to taste with date sugar, salt and pepper and sprinkle with finely chopped basil.

Optionally, you can add Parmesan or a vegan alternative over the pasta. For vegan Parmesan, simply finely mix roasted cashews with salt and yeast flakes and sprinkle over the pasta. Done!

Enjoy the meal – or rather: Buon Appetito!