I love making sauce – in fact, I have a great recipe for Sunday Sauce which is delicious and super flexible as most of recipes tend to be. But it’s not vegetarian and I’ve become a fan of trying to develop recipes without the flesh. So, a Bolognese with mushrooms seemed to be a natural. Mushrooms have such a meaty or umami quality that it seemed totally reasonable that they’d make a delicious, hearty sauce. And was I right! This is delicious and your meat-loving friends won’t believe it’s vegetarian. Have some fun mixing up your mushroom combinations – the more exotic, the deeper the flavor.
Serves: Four to Six (with plenty of leftover sauce to freeze)
Time: 1 hour
4 tbs olive oil
16 oz cremini mushrooms, processed
16 oz button mushrooms, processed
3 carrots, peeled and processed
3 stalks celery, chopped and processed
1 onion, chopped and processed
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup red wine (Cabernet)
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1 tsp Tajin
28 oz can San Marzano whole tomatoes, processed
1 can Mutti cherry tomatoes, processed
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 lb. Tagliatelle or your favorite thick long pasta
Basil leaves and parmesan for garnish
