This Mushroom Bolognese is packed with savory flavor and prepared in just under one hour. The “meaty” flavor of the sauce comes from mushrooms, making this pasta totally vegan. Loaded with lots of veggies like carrots, celery, and tomatoes, it’s a plant-based twist on the classic Italian bolognese or ragu.
Mushroom bolognese is a fan favorite in our house. It’s a little lighter than a traditional bolognese, thanks to the mushrooms, but still packs so much meaty flavor. Plus it’s ready in about an hour, making it the perfect recipe for a weeknight dinner or entertaining on the weekend.
With this vegetarian bolognese sauce, we wanted to make sure it still was hearty and comforting. The base of the sauce is still authentic to the Italian recipe using onions, carrots, and celery (very similar to the ragu I had at a cooking class in the hills of Tuscany!). Garlic and tomato paste infuse a rich caramelized flavor into every bite. I also learned at my cooking class in Italy that red wine is required and is the secret to making any bolognese recipe extra rich and decadent (even with no meat!).
Now mushrooms can be an intimidating ingredient. They can be slimy in texture or muddy in flavor if they aren’t cooked correctly. This is why I’m giving you all of my tips and sharing my guide to cooking with mushrooms correctly. They are one of my favorite ingredients not only for their rich flavor but also for their great nutritional benefits.
Along with the mushrooms, I also decided to add some roasted eggplant to the bolognese for additional heartiness in the sauce. If you love a quick pasta recipe, you should also give my Pasta Puttanesca, Italian Chickpea Noodle Soup, and Red Wine Pasta Sauce a try.
What is Bolognese?
Lauren to add! Link to any bolognese recipes on your site already. Mention quick red wine pasta sauce, making this a vegan/vegetarian bolognese recipe. Also call it ragu, etc.
Lauren’s Tip
When cooking with mushrooms, it’s important to cook them for longer than you think to remove excess water and let the mushrooms brown. When the mushrooms turn a golden brown color, this is when you can ensure that the delicious flavors of cooking mushrooms has developed.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe with ingredient amounts, instructions and timings.
- Pantry Staples: Olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes are what you’ll need.
- Eggplant: you’ll need 1 pound of eggplant. That will be two small eggplants or one large. This, along with the mushrooms, make up the “meaty” base of the sauce.
- Mushrooms: I prefer baby bella mushrooms but white button mushrooms will also work.
- Onion: yellow or white onion will work here. Do not use red onion.
- Carrot: carrots add an important sweetness to the dish that balances out the acidic tomato and savory garlic and mushrooms. You’ll need about 2 large carrots.
- Celery: fresh celery is a traditional ingredient in Ragu. It, along with the onion and carrot, are the building blocks of many soups and sauces.
- Garlic: fresh is best! You’ll need 4 large cloves of garlic—seems like a lot but this recipe makes a lot!
- Tomato paste: a hearty dollop of tomato paste creates a nice base of savory flavor. You’ll need 2 tablespoons. I prefer to buy tomato paste in a tube because it’s easier to store. If you have leftovers from a can, I recommend freezing it in portions of one to two tablespoons.
- Red wine: opt for a dry red wine such as Cabernet, Chianti, Sangiovese or Cabernet Franc. It should be something you enjoy drinking, but don’t break the bank! No need to use a super nice bottle here.
- Canned crushed tomatoes: you’ll need on large can (28-ounces). For the best flavor, seek out San Marzano tomatoes.
- Oregano and thyme: fresh is best but dried will also work!
- Pasta: I like rigatoni but pappardelle is more traditional.
- Basil: fresh is a must here. It gets added to the sauce at the end of cooking and is also a great way to finish the dish.
- Pine nuts: this is optional and not traditional at all. But I find a little fatty nut over top gives the dish even more body and adds another layer of savoriness so you won’t miss the meat.
- Parmesan: a must for any delicious Italian pasta dish! Buy a large block of parmesan and peel shreds or grate using a microplane over the dish.
Making Bolognese Vegan
The key to making an umami-filled vegetarian bolognese sauce without meat is to load it with veggies that are naturally full of umami.
Without a doubt, mushrooms are one of those ingredients. During the cooking process, mushrooms and eggplant release excess liquid and take on a concentrated texture and flavor. Together, they make a beautiful meaty sauce filled with umami.
To add even more umami, this bolognese recipe uses tomato paste. When cooked down it caramelizes and creates a deep, slightly sweet flavor.
Prepping and Cooking Mushrooms
This is one of my favorite topics, I have a whole guide to mushrooms as well as how to prep and cook them so that it’s foolproof and easy.
In this ragu recipe, we are using baby bella mushrooms. For prepping these mushrooms, you’ll just want to trim the end of the stem. The stem is fully edible in baby bellas and delicious in the sauce.
To clean the mushrooms, never submerge them in water! This will change the texture. Simply wet a paper towel until damp, then gently rub any dirt off of the mushrooms. You can also do this by simply brushing any dirt off with a dry pastry brush as well.
Once you have done this, your mushrooms are cleaned and ready to prepare for cooking.
How to Make Vegetarian Mushroom Bolognese
- Start the vegetarian bolognese by cooking down the eggplant—this will do two things. One, it cooks out excess liquid and concentrates and texture and flavor of the eggplant. Two, it creates a deep fond on the bottom of the pan with creates deep, rich umami flavor.
- Cook the onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms until tender.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with red wine, then stir in the canned tomatoes, eggplant, and herbs. Season with salt and pepper then simmer until reduced and thickened.
- While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Season the water heavily with kosher salt (at least a tablespoon). Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, or until al dente.
- Toss the pasta with the mushroom bolognese then top with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts and a sprinkle of Parmesan. (Skip the Parmesan if you or anyone else is vegan).
Expert Tips
- Garnish with cheese or vegan cheese. I highly recommend serving this with some grated or shaved Parmesan. And if you’ve got a Parmesan rind lying around, throw that into the pot while it’s simmering. It will infuse the sauce with even more umami flavor.
- Add more mushrooms. If you don’t like eggplant, just substitute with more mushrooms, just as delicious!
- Use a food processor for chopping. If you would prefer not to hand chop all the veggies, just add them to a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
- Caramelize the tomato paste. Be sure to cook the tomato paste for a minute until deep red and caramelized. This enhances the flavor for a richer sauce.
- Swap the wine. If you prefer not to use red wine, just use vegetable broth instead.
Storage and Freezing
Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over medium low heat until warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. It’s best to make new pasta to serve when reheating the sauce.
This sauce is a great prep ahead recipe and is perfect for the freezer. Store in an airtight container in the freezer to 1 to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
What to Serve with Mushroom Bolognese
We love pairing this recipe with a light and simple salad to balance the heartiness of flavors in the recipe. Here are some of our favorites:
FAQs
A meat sauce is a more general title for any sauce containing meat. A bolognese sauce is a tomato paste sauce often using tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, red wine, and milk with ground meat.
Be sure to add tomato paste to enhance the rich tomato flavor. Red wine is another key ingredient to giving the sauce that classic decadent taste.
A classic Italian pasta sauce from Bologna, Italy made with ground meat, tomatoes, milk, and a veggie mixture of onions, carrots, and celery.
Bolognese always has ground meat and often multiple types like beef, pork, and veal. It also often has red wine and milk as well. Spaghetti sauce can be much simpler than bolognese and sometimes has meat.
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Mushroom Bolognese (Vegan)
Description
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound eggplant, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 8 ounces baby bella or button mushrooms, cut into ½-inch pieces (3½ cups)
- 1 cup diced onion (1 small or ½ of a medium onion)
- ¾ cup diced carrot
- ¾ cup diced celery
- 4 large cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dry red wine, divided
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, or 2 teaspoons dried
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried
- 1 pound dry rigatoni or pappardelle pasta
- ¼ basil, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, for serving (optional)
- Parmesan cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add eggplant and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until browned and softened; season with salt. (The eggplant will create a deep fond on bottom of pot—the vegetables and red wine will pull that up and add depth of flavor to the sauce.)
- Transfer eggplant to a medium bowl; add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to Dutch oven.
- Reduce heat to medium and add mushrooms, onion, carrot, and celery; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, 8–10 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Deglaze pan with ¾ cup of wine; cook 1 minute. Add reserved eggplant, tomatoes, oregano, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a tablespoon of kosher salt and pasta. Cook pasta according to directions on package until al dente.
- While pasta is cooking, add remaining wine and basil to sauce. Simmer for an additional 5–10 minutes. When ready, drain pasta and transfer to a large serving bowl, add desired amount of sauce and toss to combine. Top with additional basil, pine nuts, and Parmesan, if using.
Notes
- Store any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over medium low heat until warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. It’s best to make new pasta to serve when reheating the sauce.
- This sauce is a great prep ahead recipe and is perfect for the freezer. Store in an airtight container in the freezer to 1 to 2 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Nutrition
I think this could be improved with the addition of dried porcini mushrooms. Nice recipe however.
This recipe was amazing! Highly recommend it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!