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The flavors in this Mushroom Bolognese are so deep and complex that you won’t even miss the meat. The perfect way to sneak some veggies in on pasta night!
Meatless “Meat” Sauce
Bolognese has long been one of my favorite Italian dishes. Traditionally using a combination of beef and veal, this dish relies on meat braised in wine and finished with milk or cream. The result is a truly complex and hearty sauce.
But I don’t eat veal anymore, and I’m trying to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my rotation.
So I thought mushrooms would be the perfect substitute, and they most definitely are! Since we’re imparting tons of flavors into those mushrooms, they really do take on the taste and texture of actual meat. This Mushroom Bolognese is rich and hearty without being too heavy. A true recipe makeover win!
They key to the texture it to get your mushrooms to mimic the texture of ground meat. To do this, I whizzed them up in my food processor. You could also finely chop them by hand, but you’ll save a lot of time if you process them. They should look something like this when mixed with the other veggies and cook it all down a bit:
Then, you’re going to add in some red wine for an extra layer of flavor. Use a dry wine, like Cabernet or Merlot. I really do think the wine is pretty crucial here, but if you’re averse to wine, you could mix 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with 1/4 cup of extra beef stock instead.
Once you get that wine nice and reduced, your mixture should look like this:
Now all you have to do is add in the half and half (full fat, please!), cheese, pasta cooking water, and pasta. Let everything meld together and then invite your mouth to the party. Don’t forget to drink a glass of that leftover wine while you eat. Bon appetit!
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! It makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though. So I’ll see it there!
Print Recipe
Mushroom Bolognese
A vegetarian take on the classic Italian meat sauce, with flavors are so deep and complex that you won’t even miss the meat. The perfect way to sneak some veggies in on pasta night!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time25 minutes mins
Total Time40 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 6
Calories: 234kcal
Author: Geri
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole-wheat or bean-based spaghetti (like Banza chickpea pasta)
- 1/2 cup minced celery (about 2-3 small stalks)
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots (from about 1 medium carrot)
- 1 cup minced onion (1 small onion)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb crimini mushrooms, cleaned
- 2 medium portabello mushrooms, dark gills removed with a spoon
- 1/2 cup dry red wine, like Cabernet or Merlot
- 1/2 tsp each dried thyme, basil, and oregano
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes and
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 cup beef stock (use veggie stock to keep it vegetarian)
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (use soy sauce instead to keep it vegetarian)
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
Over medium heat, add celery, carrots, onion, and garlic to a large skillet greased with nonstick cooking spray. Saute for about 5 minutes, or until veggies are soft but not brown.
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before you drain it. Set pasta aside.
While veggies cook, add crimini mushrooms to a food processor on high until finely chopped. You want them to look similar to ground meat. You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your processor.
Raise skillet temp to medium-high and add chopped criminis to skillet. Cook until most of the water has evaporated.
While mixture cooks, chop up portabello mushrooms into 1-inch chunks. I like to make them a little bigger for added texture, but chop them how you like. Add to the skillet and saute with everything else for about 4 minutes, or until slightly softened.
Add in wine and all spices. Cook until all of the liquid has evaporated into the mushroom mixture, stirring constantly–about 5-8 minutes.
Once skillet is pretty dry again, add in tomato sauce, stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer until reduced, about 10 minutes.
Finally, add in half and half. Cook down for 2-3 minutes, then take off heat. Add in pasta along with a few splashes of reserved pasta water at a time until you reach your desired consistency. I usually end up adding 1/2- 3/4 cup of the pasta water.
Taste, adjusting seasonings as needed.
Notes
Click here to determine your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe (if you are logged in to your WW app, it should calculate for you automatically). Serving size is 1 1/4 cups.
WW Green and Blue SmartPoints: 6 for 1 1/4 cups
WW Purple SmartPoints: 3 for 1 1/4 cups
Nutrition
Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g
FAQs
Possible Bolognese Recipe Variations:
- Add more herbs: Some fresh basil, sage or oregano would also be absolutely delicious simmered in this sauce or sprinkled on top.
- Make it spicy: Feel free to also add in more crushed red pepper flakes if you would like the sauce to have more of a kick.
As far as its taste, it will have a meaty heartiness from the browned meats, a sweet tang from the rich tomatoes, as well as an herbal kick from the various Italian spices used. If you've ever enjoyed a pasta dish with meat and tomato-based sauce, it was likely a variation of a bolognese recipe.
Why is bolognese healthy? ›
It's really no more or less heathy than many other foods. It provides protein, vitamin B12 and is a good source of niacin, vitamin B6, selenium, zinc and phosphorus thanks to its beef content. It is also a source for carbohydrates and folic acid thanks to the pasta content and vitamin D thanks to the milk/cream.
How to elevate bolognese? ›
1. Swap the minced beef for hand-chopped beef as per the traditional ragu of Bologna, and cook it long and slow. 2. Instead of 1kg minced beef, use a mix of minced beef and minced pork, veal or chicken for extra sweetness.
How do you add depth to bolognese sauce? ›
Next, add the staples that no good Bolognese is without
"Finely chopped carrots, celery and onions. I know it doesn't sound like it, but these are the things that give proper depth of flavour." "Crisp up some bacon or pancetta first. If you want a bit of a spiciness then chorizo also works well.
What to eat with bolognese sauce instead of pasta? ›
Think again – we've found a load of other tasty options to try instead.
- Cottage pie with cheesy onion mash. ...
- Minestrone soup. ...
- Keema curry. ...
- Italian cottage pie. ...
- The real deal chilli con carne. ...
- Creamy courgette and beef lasagne. ...
- Pesto bolognese pasta shells. ...
- Beef, courgette and potato bake.
For Meat Sauces
Known as Bolognese in Italy, these classic slow-simmered sauces are often a Sunday treat at Nonna's house. If you want to best capture these hearty sauces, serve them with traditional tube-shaped pasta—like Rigatoni and Tortiglioni—or deep scoopable shapes like Shells and Orecchiette.
What can I add to store bought bolognese sauce? ›
Though garlic is listed in the ingredients of most store-bought pasta sauces, adding fresh garlic will make the flavor more powerful and distinct. This makes the sauce taste more homemade overall. Along with garlic, toss some other vegetables, such as diced onions, chopped peppers and chopped carrots into your skillet.
What is the difference between Italian bolognese and American bolognese? ›
Q1: What is the distinction between traditional and American Bolognese? A1: While some of the ingredients in bolognese are similar to those in American-style spaghetti meat sauce, authentic bolognese is thicker, has milk added (which is delicious), and uses far less tomato.
Why do Italians add milk to bolognese? ›
According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”. She adds: “It also makes the mince meat nice and tender, creating that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.”
There are some classic Italian versions and some more westernised ones. My preference leans towards one of the Italian classics. Ragu Bolognese is of the region of Bologna as the name implies. This version of the sauce uses fresh vegetables, such as the sweetness of carrots instead of using sugar.
What are the cons of spaghetti bolognese? ›
Many brands not only contain plenty of fat like vegetable oil, but also come with a good slug of added sugar and salt too. This is because using lots of tomatoes and fresh herbs and seasoning to make a sauce is expensive.
Is bolognese better the longer you cook it? ›
Like most recipes the longer you leave it to slowly cook the better the flavour will be but this can also be knocked up with in an hour.
How important is celery in bolognese? ›
In traditional Italian bolognese recipes, celery is often included as one of the "soffrito" ingredients, along with onions and carrots, which are sautéed in olive oil as a base for the sauce. Celery adds a slightly sweet and earthy flavor to the sauce and can also help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
How do you fix a tasteless bolognese? ›
🌿 Spice it Up: Enhance flavor by adding herbs and spices like garlic, basil, oregano, or red pepper flakes.
How do you save a bland bolognese? ›
How to boost flavour in my bolognese?
- good quality mince (lamb or beef)
- onions/leeks & garlic.
- mushrooms.
- red peppers.
- carrots.
- a small amount of pasta.
- a small amount of stock (with a stock cube or homemade if I happen to have it)
- black pepper (not salt)
Add robust herbs such as rosemary & thyme early in the cooking process. Add more delicate herbs such as basil, parsley & coriander (cilantro) toward the end. pasta bolognese should be a pasta seasoned with bolognese sauce.
How to add umami to bolognese? ›
Sundried tomatoes are another great source of umami for a bolognese sauce. The concentrated tang of sundried tomatoes will add an especially complex taste that's both sweet and smoky, and that flavor will tie the overall taste of your bolognese together.
