A gluten-free and vegetarian pasta dish that is unbelievably flavorful, hearty and cozy! Equally perfect if you follow a vegetarian diet or are looking to add some more plant-based meals to your week. Bonus: super easy to make!
New! We’ve been making this a lot lately so added a cooking video so you could see how easy it is to make this Vegetarian Bolognese!
As with all our recipes, there is a printable recipe with exact measurements and directions at the bottom of the page.
Hope you love it as much as we do!
Original post…
We love a good pasta and have a few favorites that are always in the rotation.
This Gluten-free Vegetarian Bolognese is one of those favorites!
We first discovered this dish and were introduced to the concept of savory — or umami, the fifth taste sensation along with sweet, sour, salty and bitter — back in 2009 when it was published in Cooking Light Magazine and we’ve been making it ever since.
Each time love it more than we even remember!
This Vegetarian Bolognese starts with all the usual suspects —
carrots
onion
celery
crushed tomatoes
dry red wine
but instead of meat uses high flavor,
cremini mushrooms (also known as baby bella or baby portobello mushrooms)
dried porcini mushrooms
and Parmigiano-Reggiano rind.
The flavor is unreal!
The umami or incredible savory flavor comes from letting the sauce cook up with the Parmesan rind and dried porcini mushrooms.
And it is super easy to make.
First you saute the carrots, onions, carrots and mushrooms.
Then you add in and cook off the red wine.
Then you add in the tomatoes, Parmesan rind and dried porcini mushrooms.
Let it cook up for less than an hour, and that’s it!
Can’t recommend this enough, whether you are already vegetarian or just looking to add some plant-based meals to your week.
Hope you love it as much as we do!
Scroll down to see the recipe and leave a comment if you try.
1/4cupfinely ground dried porcini mushroomsabout 1/4 ounce (it has a strong flavor so start with 2 tablespoons and add more to taste. We often use 3 tablespoons)
2tablespoonsolive oil
1 1/2cupsfinely chopped onion
1/2cupfinely chopped carrot
1/2cupfinely chopped celery
18-ounce package cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, choppedYou can chop finely or coarsely depending on how much you want to taste the individual mushrooms
1/2cupdry red wine
1/4cupwarm wateryou may add more as it cooks
1/2teaspoonsaltor more to taste
1/2teaspoonground black pepper
1 750gcontainer chopped or crushed tomatoes
22-inch pieces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rindwe use up to 3 rinds sometimes
12ouncesuncooked gluten-free pasta
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for topping
Instructions
Place dried mushrooms in a spice or coffee grinder or food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmering, not burning. Add carrots and celery and sauté 10 minutes or starting to get tender.
Add onions and mushrooms and simmer an additional 10 minutes. NOTE: You could add the carrots, celery, mushrooms and onions all at once but we like to give the carrots and celery a few extra minutes cooking time.
Add wine, stir to combine. Then let wine boil off. It will visibly disappear or almost fully evaporate, approximately 5 mins.
Add 1/4 cup warm water, salt, pepper, crushed tomatoes, and cheese rind to veggie mixture. Stir to combine.
Stir in ground porcini mushrooms.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or longer. It is a thick sauce, feel free to add water to thin it out to taste.
Remove rind and discard before serving.
When ready to eat, cook pasta according to package directions. Serve with sauce, top with parmigiano reggiano. Enjoy!
Hi! My name is Karen, and I’m the mom in our Healthy Gluten-Free Family. My posts and pictures here and on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter are labors of love that allow me to share a very personal journey with you, one our family has taken together — learning, experimenting and sharing how to raise a healthy happy gluten-free family. Read more ...