Fancy name, huh? I thought it sounded good. But considering that a traditional Bolognese sauce has ground beef, pancetta or bacon, and heavy cream, mine doesn’t appear to be a Bolognese at all. But since I kept the red wine, carrot and celery, I decided this was generally in the same family, be it a second cousin, twice removed.
I wanted to keep this vegan but had a challenge when it came to selecting a cream. Coconut cream made it taste more like a curry. Soaked cashews finely ground into a cream had a similar effect. Soy and almond milk didn’t have enough body to create the silkiness regular cream provides. So I decided to go without. (Vegetarians can use heavy cream, if desired.)
A “proper” Bolognese is also slow cooked for hours. This recipe can be ready in less than 30 minutes. You can let it simmer for hours to reduce for a thicker sauce. And this is even better the next day after the flavors have time to mix.
Using portabella mushrooms to replace ground beef is a good choice, but any type of mushroom will work. To get the texture of ground beef, try pulsing the mushrooms in a food processor instead of dicing.
When it comes to the red wine, make sure you use something you actually like to drink. I learned a long time ago that throwing a cheap wine into food doesn’t miraculously turn bad wine into good. It just ruins the entire dish!
Finally, to keep the calories down and nutrient content up, try using julienned zucchini or yellow summer squash instead of pasta. I used my new kitchen toy, The Veggetti, to cut the zucchini into pasta-like noodles. A vegetable peeler/julienne slicer will work as well.
Ingredients (serves 4 – 6)
1 large onion – diced
1 large carrot – diced
1 large celery stalk – diced
1 pound mushrooms – diced
4 large garlic cloves – finely chopped
4-6 medium zucchinis (about 1 per person) – or cook pasta of choice per package instructions
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 cup red wine
2-3 bay leaves
½ tsp. dried thyme – crushed
½ tsp. dried oregano – crushed
shaved or grated parmesan for topping (optional for vegetarians)
½ – 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
sea salt to taste
Directions
- Place 2 tbsp. cooking oil of choice in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Add crushed thyme and oregano to oil and let them heat up for a couple of minutes to release the flavor.
- Add garlic and onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add carrot, celery, mushrooms and bay leaves. Cover and let cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Stir in wine and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and let cook another 10 minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.
- While sauce is cooking, lightly coat a non-stick skillet with spray cooking oil. Place zucchini in pan, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and gently cook over low heat for about 5 minutes until tender.
- Place zucchini (or pasta) on serving dish and spoon Bolognese over noodles. Grate or shave fresh parmesan on top and serve hot immediately.
cheri says
Hi Amy, This looks fantastic, love the fact it can be made in such a short period of time. Is the veggetti like a spiralizer?
Amy says
Hi Cheri – so sorry for the late response but it appears my earlier reply didn’t get posted. Yes, the veggetti is like a spiralizer but I think it’s much easier to use and is easier to clean up. I got mine at Bed Bath & Beyond for $14.99!