Hearty Mushroom Bolognese and Spaghetti

A Comforting Bowl of Veggies

I love a big bowl of pasta. Like, I really love a big bowl of pasta. And come the winter time, there’s nothing better than a warming bowl of bolognese.  Typically, a bolognese is a meat heavy sauce, but in this version I’ve swapped out the beef and pork for loads of chopped mushrooms. The mushrooms provide a similar meaty consistency, but are a lovely option if you’re trying to add more vegetables into your diet or cooking for people who don’t eat beef or pork. This meal will make for a perfect Sunday dinner at home with a big salad and some crusty bread!

Recipe Tips For this Mushroom Bolognese

If you plan on making this hearty vegetarian bolognese, here are a few tips to consider before you begin:

• If you’re preparing this bolognese with mushrooms for someone who follows a vegetarian diet, be sure to find a vegan-alternative to parmesan cheese. Regular parmesan cheese is not vegetarian due to the process with which it is aged.  If you can’t find a cheese alternative, I like to use nutritional yeast to give a salty, cheesy flavor. Add in 2 tablespoons to this recipe if you plan on using it.
• When shopping for dried pasta, look for noodles that have a slight texture to them or appear floury. The rougher texture is an indicator of higher quality pasta, as the texture is a result of a higher quality extruder.  The important thing to note, though, is that rougher texture means more sauce will stick to your pasta.  And more sauce means more flavor, baby!
• The recommendation of using San Marzano tomatoes in this bolognese is not by accident. These are a quality choice for any marinara sauce and are widely available at all grocery stores. The brand doesn’t matter quite as much as looking for the tomatoes from this region in Italy.

Recipe Details

What makes this bolognese beautiful is the layers of flavors that are cooked low and slow. Each addition makes this sauce a complex, delicious sauce that makes for a heartwarming bowl of pasta.  The first layer is akin to a low and slow mirepoix. Diced onion is cooked until they’re incredibly soft and lightly golden brown. This is rounded out with some diced carrots, celery, and garlic. These add a sweet, aromatic, and earthy base layer to your sauce!

Once the base is built out, you add in the star of the show: all the mushrooms. I’ve opted to do a combination of button mushrooms and baby portobellos. This creates a thick, almost meat-like texture, that thickens out the sauce. The mushrooms are softened in the pot with the rest of the vegetables until softened and reduced in size.

In the next layer of the sauce, we add the acidic flavors. Starting with adding some tomato paste, a bit of balsamic vinegar, and lastly a large can of whole San Marzano tomatoes. Using a wooden spoon, you’ll mash the whole tomatoes into a chunky marinara sauce. Lett the sauce simmer and the ingredients meld together!  Boil a pot of high-quality spaghetti and before draining the noodles, save a bit of the pasta water.  Add a few spoonfuls to the sauce to help flavor it even more, add a bit of cream and Parmesan cheese to the sauce to enrichen it and then serve the delicious mushroom bolognese over the cooked spaghetti.

Save leftovers in an airtight glass container and reheat in the microwave or stovetop. Eat leftovers within 4 days of cooking, or freeze and save for up to 2 months. If you make this recipe, please tag @laura.loves.to.cook on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook so we can share how we’re loving our food together. I hope you love this bolognese with mushrooms recipe as much as I do!

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Hearty Mushroom Bolognese and Spaghetti

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Boiled, Simmered Cuisine: Italian Courses: Pasta

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 40 mins Total Time 55 mins

Servings: 6

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Dietary:

N Nut Free V Vegetarian

Description

A hearty bolognese packed with mushrooms and vegetables. This meat-free option is a delicious choice to add into your Sunday dinner menu line-up. It’s cooked low and slow, filling your house with an herby, marinara aroma.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 ribs of celery, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 lb chopped white mushrooms
• 1 lb chopped baby portobello mushrooms
• 6 oz tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• Pinch of red pepper flakes, to your taste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil 
• 28 oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 lb dried spaghetti
• ¹⁄₂ cup heavy cream 
• ¹⁄₄ cup grated Parmesan cheese (for vegetarian, opt for a dairy-free parmesan)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Heat a large dutch oven or large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Sweat the chopped onions for 7-8 minutes, until incredibly soft and softly golden in color.

2. Add the chopped carrots and celery and sweat for another 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the garlic to the pot and sweat until aromatic, about 1 minute.

4. To the aromatics, add the white mushrooms and portobello mushrooms and stir to coat in the oil. Continue to cook until lightly browned and the mushrooms have shrunk in size, about 5 minutes.

5. Scoop in the tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables, let the tomato paste cook until it darkens in color, about 3 minutes.

6. Pour in the balsamic vinegar, the dried oregano, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Stir into the veggies and then add the can of whole tomatoes, using the end of your spoon to break up the tomatoes into smaller pieces. Simmer on low for at least 10 minutes to meld the flavors together, but it can simmer for up to 30 minutes. 

7. Meanwhile, boil your pasta according to the package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water.  Add half into the bolognese and stir to incorporate.

8. Take the bolognese off the heat and stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese, until the parmesan cheese melts into the sauce.

9. Serve the pasta with big scoops of bolognese over the top with extra parmesan cheese on top.  Enjoy!