Bucatini Bolognese with Veggies and Sausage
This bucatini bolognese with veggies and sausage combines sweet Italian sausage with eggplant for a rustic and more nutritious sauce. Finished with earthy sage and salty Pecorino, it’s still pure comfort food.
Recipe Mood: Rustic Comfort
Indulgence Level: Medium
Effort Level: Moderate
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Bolognese is one of the ultimate comfort foods, and this bucatini bolognese with veggies and sausage incorporates pulsed eggplant for an extra hearty but more “vegetized” version of this classic Italian meat sauce.
Now, pairing bolognese with a key vegetable might not be the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks about this dish. Nevertheless, it’s a great way to add more nutrition while still emphasizing the best part: the meat!
I sometimes enjoy pulsing certain ingredients before cooking them because, under the right circumstances, it helps concentrate their flavor—this artichoke and sun-dried tomato pasta is one good example of that. Pulsing vegetables also helps them cook faster and stretches them further.
If you have kids, the eggplant is a crafty way to get them to eat more vegetables. They’ll barely know it’s there, and I betcha they won’t even guess if you don’t tell them. Lastly, this bolognese freezes really well, so you can keep extra on hand for those nights when you feel like doing little more than boiling water for some pasta.
Why You’ll Love This Bucatini Bolognese with Veggies and Sausage
Veggie-packed twist on bolognese: The eggplant, celery, carrot, and onion blend right into the sauce for added texture and flavor.
Sneaked-in veggies: If you’re feeding this to picky eaters, they’ll never know there’s a good amount of vegetables in here.
Sweet sausage for bold flavor: The meat still reigns supreme in this recipe, and it doesn’t require hours of simmering.
Key Ingredients
- Tomato Paste: A dollop of this helps deepen the flavors of this relatively quick-cooking bolognese.
- Beef Broth: This adds richness and enhances the heartiness of the sauce.
See the recipe card below for more information on ingredients and quantities.
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How to Make This Recipe
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook bucatini until al dente, then drain.
- Chop vegetables: Pulse eggplant, celery, carrot, onion, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped but still chunky.
- Cook sausage: Sauté sausage in a large pan over medium heat just until cooked through. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
- Sauté vegetables: Add olive oil to the same pan, then cook pulsed vegetables over fairly high heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add tomato paste: Stir in tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze with broth: Pour in beef broth and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes: Stir in crushed tomatoes; simmer for another 2 minutes.
- Finish cooking sausage: Return sausage to the pan and cook on medium-low for 15–20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Combine and serve: Toss cooked pasta with sauce, sage, and parsley. Top with Pecorino Romano and serve.
Pro Tips
Use a potato masher to break up the sausage further: This is helpful if you like your sausage more crumbled.
Variations & Substitutions
-Use rigatoni, penne, fettuccine, or another hearty pasta if bucatini isn’t on hand.
-Use spicy Italian sausage instead of sweet for a little kick.
-Try ground turkey, chicken, or beef in place of sausage if you prefer a leaner option.
-Swap the eggplant with zucchini for a slightly sweeter sauce.
-Add a splash of red wine before the broth for deeper flavor.
-Stir in a dollop of ricotta or mascarpone at the end for creaminess.
-Swap sage with fresh thyme or rosemary for a different herbal note.
Recipe FAQs
Pulsing helps the vegetables blend into the sauce, creating a slightly chunky base that works with the texture of bolognese.
Yes, the sauce can be made a day in advance and reheated gently before tossing with the pasta. The flavors will deepen even more as it sits.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing the bolognese with the pasta, but it’s fine to freeze just the bolognese for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Defrost the bolognese in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Boil some pasta and toss everything together.
More Pasta Recipes
- Creamy shell pasta with zucchini and mushrooms
- Linguine aglio e olio with roasted garlic
- Creamy rigatoni with ricotta sauce
- One-pan orzo with tomatoes and olives
- Roasted tomato linguine puttanesca
If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please take a moment to leave a five-star review below. You could also tag me on Instagram (@forcarbssake) with a picture of your finished dish!
Bucatini Bolognese with Veggies and Sausage
Ingredients
- 16 ounces bucatini pasta
- 1 eggplant skin on, cut into chunks
- 1 celery rib cut into chunks
- 1 carrot peeled and cut into chunks
- ½ large yellow onion peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and left whole
- 16 ounces sweet Italian sausage crumbled
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 and ¼ teaspoons kosher salt divided (1 teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon)
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons no-salt tomato paste (Note 1)
- 1 cup low-sodium beef broth
- 2 cups whole canned tomatoes crushed by hand (Note 2)
- 1 large bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage sliced julienne
- Italian flat-leaf parsley minced
- Pecorino Romano cheese grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package's directions or until al dente. Drain.
- Pulse the chopped eggplant, celery, carrot, onion, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped but still chunky.
- Cook the sausage in a large saute pan over medium heat until just cooked through, 5-7 minutes, stirring often. Transfer it to a plate with a slotted spoon so the grease from the sausage remains in the pan.
- Add the olive oil to the pan, heat it through, then add the pulsed vegetables along with 1 teaspoon salt and some ground black pepper. Cook on a fairly high temperature for about 15 minutes (they'll steam for a while before they begin to acquire some color). Stir occasionally.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and simmer for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes along with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and bay leaf; simmer for another 2 minutes. Add back in the sausage and cook on medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes to finish cooking it. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Add as much of the bolognese to the drained pasta as you like along with the sage and parsley. Toss well. Serve and top with grated Pecorino. Enjoy!
This bolognese tastes amazing, and it’s great with the bucatini!