My Creamy Mushroom Pasta Bolognese is a flavor packed main dish perfect for cozy weekends in or entertaining. It features earthy flavors from fresh cremini and dried porcini mushrooms, with full-bodied garlic and red wine and a touch of cream to create a silky texture. Its flavor is boosted with canned tomatoes, tomato paste and Tamari for a bold finish. The creamy sauce clings to the pasta, delivering comfort and flavor.
Creamy Vegetarian Bolognese Highlights
I’ve only tasted traditional bolognese once in my life, long before adopting a vegetarian way of eating. I remember it being so flavorful, unlike any ragu or pasta sauce I’d ever had before.
As a vegetarian, I frequently make new recipes reminiscent of classics I’ve tried or grew up with. This mushroom bolognese hits all those memory notes, from texture to heartiness; and meaty mushrooms can do it all!
Whether you’re a dedicated vegetarian or omnivore looking to enjoy more veggies, this Creamy Mushroom Bolognese recipe is rich enough for life’s celebrations or if you’re just craving comfort food.
This Recipe Is
- hearty and rich
- the sauce is freezer friendly
- flavor packed
If you love mushrooms and pasta recipes, you’ll enjoy this vegetarian bolognese recipe.
“”This recipe delivers. Perfect directions led to easy stress-free execution. I went the heavy cream way. Wow!”
Elissa
About the Key Ingredients
- Dried Porcini Mushrooms – to prepare these mushrooms, we’ll soak them in hot water where they’ll plump up and become tender. You’ll soak the mushrooms while preparing the other ingredients. While soaking, a delicious mushroom broth is created which we’ll use in the bolognese later to boost flavor.
- Cremini Mushrooms – also known as baby bellas, they’re creamy in color and range in size from small to large. Along with porcini mushrooms, they’re the ‘meaty’ part of the recipe and a major flavor builder.
- Mirepoix – a classic aromatic base of onion, carrots and celery used in recipes, particularly in French cuisine as a base for soup, stews and other dishes. It adds depth and complex savory and a mild sweet flavor.
- Fresh Garlic – not traditionally in bolognese sauce (why not?), but I love it for its earthy, savory flavor. My mushroom bolognese recipe, calls for four cloves, but I’ve been known to add more. If you love garlic, this is the perfect recipe to enjoy it in!
- Canned San Marzano Style Tomatoes – look for peeled, whole canned tomatoes. They’re a low acidity tomato that add a natural sweetness, meaty texture and umami flavor. I like Muir Glen brand.
- Baking Soda – just 1/4 teaspoon decreases the acidity of the tomatoes in this dish, even for the low acid San Marzano style tomatoes. This is not a traditional ingredient in bolognese, but I love the results. I also use it in homemade tomato soup. Sometimes you’ll see sugar in tomato based pasta recipes, achieving a similar result.
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How to Make Mushroom Bolognese
step by step
The Best Pasta for Mushroom Bolognese
There are plenty of pasta choices when it comes to serving vegetarian mushroom bolognese sauce. It’s traditionally served with wide, flat pasta varieties with a large surface area the sauce can easily cling to. Here are a few varieties to try (Wikipedia):
- Tagliatelle: this is the traditional pasta served with bolognese. Tagliatelle is a wide, flat, ribbon-like egg-based pasta. It’s delicious, and I prefer it to other choices, but I’ve found it available in limited locations where I live.
- Pappardelle: an egg-based pasta similar to tagliatelle, but is wider. It’s flat and ribbon like, a sturdy choice for bolognese sauce. I rarely see this variety in grocery stores but have found it in specialty shops.
- Linguine: not as wide as tagliatelle or pappardelle, but like the others, has a flat shape that allows it to hold on to the sauce. It’s widely available.
- Fettuccine (pictured): another flat pasta, wider than linguine. It’s widely available.
- Gluten Free Tagliatelle: brown rice egg tagliatelle is hearty, delicious and sturdy. I like Jovial brand.
Traci’s Tips
- Share with your favorite seasonal salad, Kale Caesar Salad or Sweet Apple and Roasted Beet Salad.
- Make Vegan Mushroom Bolognese: omit the cream and add plant milk. I use unsweetened Homemade Cashew Milk. It thickens this recipe beautifully. If using store-bought plant milk, you may need to cook the sauce a little longer to thicken it. Also, use vegan wine and an egg-free pasta like fettuccini, linguini or tube shape pasta.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta Bolognese Sauce (Vegetarian)
Servings:6 – 7 Servings
Calories:444kcal
My Creamy Mushroom Pasta Bolognese is a flavor packed main dish perfect for cozy weekends in or entertaining. It features earthy flavors from fresh cremini and dried porcini mushrooms, with full-bodied garlic and red wine and a touch of cream to create a silky texture. Its flavor is boosted with canned tomatoes, tomato paste and Tamari for a bold finish. The creamy sauce clings to the pasta, delivering comfort and flavor. This recipe is vegetarian, easily vegan and gluten free.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce (28 grams) Dried Porcini Mushrooms
- 1 cup (223 grams) Hot Water
- 2 pounds (907 grams) Cremini Mushrooms trimmed and cut in half
- 1 Carrot medium, no need to peel, quartered
- 1 Celery Stick quartered
- 1 Yellow Onion medium, quartered
- 1, 28 ounce (793 grams) Can of San Marzano Style Tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 Plump Cloves of Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 cup (160 grams) Dry Red Wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1/2 cup (110 grams) Reserved Mushroom Broth from soaking porcini mushrooms
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 tablespoon + 1/4 teaspoon Tamari
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon each Ground Black Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) Heavy Cream see note for vegan option
- 12 ounces (340 grams) Tagliatelle or Fettuccine Pasta
- Serve with grated Parmesan, fresh basil or parsley.
Instructions
Prep the Veggies:
- Hydrate the Porcini Mushrooms: In a medium bowl, pour hot water over the porcini mushrooms, weighing the mushrooms down with a smaller bowl so they stay submerged. Soak for 10 minutes. Strain the porcini mushrooms through a fine mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mushroom broth for the bolognese. Rinse the porcini mushrooms under running water, then squeeze out excess water. Set aside.
- Chop the Veggies: In a food processor fitted with the S blade, working in four batches, pulse the cremini mushrooms 5-6 times to a small dice about 1/4-1/2 inch in size, transferring each batch to a large bowl. Set aside. To the empty food processor, add the carrot, celery and onion. Pulse about 10-13 times to finely chop the vegetables. Transfer the veggies to the large bowl with the cremini mushrooms. To the empty food processor, add the porcini mushrooms and pulse 7-8 times or until finely chopped. Transfer the porcini mushrooms to the large bowl with the cremini mushrooms and veggies. To the empty food processor, add the canned tomatoes and all their juices. Pulse 7-8 times, until finely chopped. Some chunks are okay. Set aside.
Make the Bolognese:
- In a large 7 quart Dutch oven, add the olive oil and heat on medium until it shimmers. Add the vegetable and mushroom mixture all at once and stir to coat the veggies in oil. The pot will be full. Place the lid on the pot and cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. The veggies will release their liquid and begin to cook down.
- Remove the lid and continue cooking on medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until all the liquid evaporates, about 5-7 minutes. Some sticking is okay, and the veggies should start to brown. Stir in garlic and tomato paste. Cook, stirring for about a minute.
- Pour in the wine, stir, and cook until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes. Add the reserved mushroom broth, tomatoes, baking soda, tamari, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. The mixture will bubble up a bit from the baking soda. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cooking (without the lid) for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Remove the bolognese from the heat and stir in the cream. Taste for salt and adjust to taste. Lid to keep warm.
- Meanwhile, put a large pot of salted water on to boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain. Transfer pasta to the sauce, gently stirring to incoporate.
- Transfer to pasta bowls and serve with grated Parmesan, torn fresh basil or chopped parsley.
- Reheat: reheat on low heat in a lidded pot. This helps retain the pasta's texture. Give it about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add a splash of cream or milk as needed. To Freeze: the sauce can be frozen (without the pasta), for up to several weeks. Cool completely, then store in a lidded container. Thaw in the refrigerator before gently reheating on stove top. I do not recommend freezing pasta generally. It breaks down and impacts the texture. If needed, serve the sauce and pasta separately.
Video
Notes
Make Vegan Mushroom Bolognese: omit the cream and add plant milk. I use unsweetened Homemade Cashew Milk. It thickens this recipe beautifully. If using store-bought plant milk, you may need to cook the sauce a little longer to thicken it. Also, use vegan wine and an egg-free pasta like fettuccini, linguini or tube shape pasta.
Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Everyday Vegetarian October 2016
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 444kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 629mg | Potassium: 1469mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 2225IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 4mg
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This recipe delivers. Perfect directions led to easy stress-free execution. I went the heavy cream way. Wow!
Delicious and great texture too!
Thank you for your note, Audrey! So glad you enjoyed the bolognese!
Looks delicious. Will try soon! Have three comments: instead of dried porcini I buy dried mushrooms from the Carpathian Mountains (in Poland called Tatra Mtns). They are more expensive but also much more flavorful than porcini. Available in many Eastern European delis/markets. Also, my mother always (true of most Eastern European cooks) simmered the dried mushrooms for 20-30 minutes, making sure there was plenty of liquid, which always turns a nice dark brown. Make sure to wash dried mushrooms with in cold water before using and later strain carefully. Lastly, I have used regular egg-based noodles when papardelle are not available.
Very easy and tasty recipe! I have gluten free and vegetarians coming today and this was perfect! Hearty meal!
Hi Veronica! Thank you for your note and star rating. SO happy everyone enjoyed the bolognese.. I love how versatile it is!