It’s almost needless to say, but I’ll say it anyway. Pasta is timeless, and bolognese is one of those classic Italian recipes that’s full of robust flavors and easy to master. Plus, it’s great for meal prepping or just enjoying leftovers – it tastes even better the next day!
This is my vegan take on a recipe I have in a Giada De Laurentiis cookbook. Which, side note, I can’t remember if it was a graduation present or wedding gift, but wow, either way it’s been 10+ years that I’ve had the book. Way to make a lady feel old. However! I was paging through it the other day and Giada’s simple bolognese recipe caught my eye – a rich ragu, but not a meat sauce!
Of course, if you wanted to, you can add vegan meat crumbles, such as beyond meat. If you’re not vegan, you can add ground meat; beef, sausage or turkey would work. However, the mushrooms lend such a nice heartiness, you probably won’t feel you need any kind of meat!
In the recipe in the book, Giada calls for mascarpone and parmesan cheese, so it’s vegetarian, but not vegan. If you’re vegetarian, feel free to swap out the oat milk in my recipe for one of those cheeses, or even a more traditional pecorino romano.
One other difference – she uses dried porcini mushrooms and a mix of other mushroom varieties. But I live in a small town, with a small town grocery store. I’m guessing you might be much the same! So in an effort to make the recipe more attainable to anyone who only has a Walmart in town, I just used half a carton of baby Bella mushrooms. They are available anywhere, and they aren’t expensive at all! Oh and since it’s summer and there’s an abundance of zucchini, I upped the vegetable ante and added some of that as well.
Ingredients
This bolognese sauce is jam-packed with delicious fresh veggies. This list makes it look like a labor of love, but I promise, it’s pretty simple! You’ll need:
Mushrooms – I used baby Bellas, but any variety you can find should work.
Onion and bell pepper – any color should work! Chop finely or pulse in food processor
Carrots and zucchini – washed well and shredded. You can peel them if you want, but a long as they are clean and don’t have any obvious bad spots, I don’t bother.
Red wine – a basic red cooking or drinking wine. I prefer one on the drier side, such as merlot.
Garlic, olive oil, vegetable bouillon, thyme and oregeno – if you have fresh herbs, use them! If not, dried works just as well. Same goes for fresh cloves of garlic. They are great if you have them, but more often than not, I only have a jar of minced garlic in the fridge. Use whatcha got!
Tomato paste, tomato sauce, vegetable juice, and diced tomatoes – to give us the bright, acidic flavors of a quick marinara sauce. V8 Vegetable juice works great, but any store brand vegetable juice is good!
Oat milk – to add extra creaminess and smooth out the flavors, without adding any dairy or expensive vegan cheese.
Salt and black pepper, to taste.
Pasta – almost any sturdy variety works good with this sauce. I wouldn’t go thinner than spaghetti. Feel free to use your favorite gluten free pasta too!
Method
Start by rinsing off your mushrooms, then pulse them in a food processor until they resemble crumbs, and no large chunks remain. In a large saucepan or large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add mushrooms, and cook until they release their moisture, 3-5 minutes. This prevents them from having that soggy, chewy texture that makes people hate mushrooms.
Add onions and bell pepper and sauté until onions are translucent, then add carrots and zucchini. Continue cooking over medium low heat until the vegetable mixture is completely cooked. Salt and pepper generously and add herbs.
Deglaze pan with wine, scraping pan with wooden spoon to loosen up any brown bits. Add garlic, vegetable bouillon and tomato paste, whisk gently to break up any large lumps. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute, then add remaining tomato ingredients; sauce, diced tomatoes, and vegetable juice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until liquid is reduced and sauce is thickened.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/2 a cup of the pasta water.
Remove sauce from heat and stir in oat milk. Add in pasta, and use reserved pasta water to thin sauce if needed. Serve, topped with additional fresh black pepper.
I hope this tasty red sauce becomes one of your favorite recipes too! My modern take on a traditional recipe can be the base for so many delicious meals. Lasagna Bolognese, anyone? Spaghetti pie? Baked penne? The options are endless! Also, one of my favorite ways to use leftover pasta sauce is as the base of a hearty vegetable soup.
Oh, and because I know you’ll have the rest of that can of tomato paste hiding in your fridge until kingdom come, here’s some recipe ideas to make this week that will help use it up!
Giada Inspired Vegan Bolognese
Equipment
- Food processor
- Box grater
Ingredients
- 4 oz mushrooms
- 1 small onion diced
- 1/2 large bell pepper diced
- 2 small carrots shredded
- 1 cup zucchini shredded
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp dried
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped or 1/2 tsp dried
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp vegetable bouillon
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 oz
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 oz
- 1/2 cup vegetable juice such as V8
- 1/2 cup oat milk
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse mushrooms well, then pulse in food processor until no large chunks remain. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their moisture, 3-5 minutes.
- Add onions and bell pepper, cook until onions are translucent. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil if needed, then add shredded carrots and zucchini. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened, 7-8 minutes. Salt and pepper generously, and add herbs.
- Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add garlic, vegetable bouillon, and tomate paste, whisking to break up any lumps. Cook 1 minute, then add tomato sauce, diced tomates, and vegetable juice.
- Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until sauce thickens.
- Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to boil, salt generously, and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, but reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
- Remove sauce from heat, stir in oat milk, then add cooked pasta. Thin sauce with reserved pasta water if needed. Serve hot with additional fresh ground black pepper
As always, if you enjoy this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment below, tag me on Instagram, or connect with me on Facebook!
