Vegetarian Pasta Bolognese
All the classic flavor and texture of Pasta Bolognese, without the meat.
Ingredients
- 1 sweet onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 medium carrot
- olive oil
- ¾ lb crimini mushrooms
- ¼ lb walnuts
- kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 lb pasta
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- extra fresh Parmesan, for serving
- ricotta cheese for serving
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot. In a large pot, heat a few tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.Cook the chopped vegetables, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
- In a food processor, finely mince the crimini mushrooms. Add them to the pot with the vegetables and cook, stirring, until the excess water has been cooked out, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a saute pan, toast the walnuts over medium heat until just browned and fragrant, stirring often, about 7 minutes.
- Using the food processor, pulse the toasted walnuts until minced but not a powder, about 6-7 pulses.Stir the minced walnuts into the vegetables and mushrooms.
- Stir the white wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, and nutmeg into the vegetables and cook over medium-low heat until the wine is almost totally evaporated.
- Stir in the vegetable or chicken stock, milk, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook over medium-low heat until the liquid is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook your pasta for about 2 minutes less than package instructions, then transfer to the pot with the sauce.Reserve 1 cup of pasta water in case the sauce is too thick.
- Stir the pasta into the sauce, along with the grated parmesan, and cook until the pasta is cooked and well combined with the sauce, about 2 minutes. If the sauce is too thick to evenly coat the pasta, stir in some of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve the pasta, topped with extra Parmesan cheese and a scoop of ricotta.