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Hearty Vegetable Bolognese Recipe: A rich, meaty flavor—without the meat!
Well, hello there, my friends! If you’ve ever wanted to make a dish that satisfies everyone at the table—vegetarians included—this one is a knockout. It’s my meatless spin on a classic Bolognese, and I promise you, it delivers on flavor, texture, and comfort. We build it like the real thing—layer by layer—with a beautiful sofrito, a little wine, and even a touch of milk to marry the flavors. You’ll never miss the meat or sausage!
👥 6 Servings👤 Chef Jean-Pierre📖 chefjeanpierre
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- pan
- pot
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Sauté the Onion
2
In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.
olive oil2 tbsp
3
Add the chopped sweet onion.
large sweet onion ( finely chopped)1
4
Cook slowly until golden brown and fragrant.
5
Prepare the Mushrooms - While the onion cooks, prepare the portobello mushrooms:
6
Remove the stems and gills
7
Dice the mushrooms into small pieces to mimic ground meat
8
Sauté the Mushrooms
9
Turn the heat to high.
10
Add the diced mushrooms to the cooked onions.
11
Season with salt (or porcini mushroom salt for extra flavor).
salt (use porcini mushroom salt if you have it, otherwise kosher salt))to taste freshly ground black pepper and salt
12
Sauté until mushrooms release their water and start to brown.
13
Cook until all moisture evaporates to achieve a meaty texture.
14
Add Carrots and Celery
carrots (about1 ¼ cup) (shredded)3
15
Add shredded carrots and finely diced celery.
carrots (about1 ¼ cup) (shredded)3
16
Stir in a splash of olive oil if the pan looks dry.
olive oil2 tbsp
17
Cook until vegetables are aromatic and tender.
18
Deglaze with Wine
19
Deglaze the pan with red wine.- Only use a wine you’d drink—bad wine makes bad sauce!
red wine (a wine you’d actually drink!)12 oz
20
Let it reduce by half to concentrate the flavor and soften the acidity.
21
Add Herbs, Garlic, and Tomatoes
chopped garlic2 tbsp
22
Add fresh thyme and chopped garlic.
fresh thyme (or fresh rosemary or sage) (choose one)2 tbspchopped garlic2 tbsp
23
Stir until fragrant.
24
Pour in vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes, and tomato paste.
tomato paste4 oz
25
Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
26
Add Harissa, Seasonings & Milk
27
Stir in harissa paste, a pinch of salt, and black pepper.
Harissa paste (optional (I like the Mina brand))1 tbspsalt (use porcini mushroom salt if you have it, otherwise kosher salt))to taste freshly ground black pepper and salt
28
Add the milk to mellow the acidity and bring everything together. -This is a traditional Bolognese technique for richness and balance.
29
Simmer the Sauce
30
Simmer uncovered on low heat for about ⏱️ 1 hour.
31
Stir occasionally and scrape the sides of the pot to prevent burning. - Never cover a tomato-based sauce—let it reduce and thicken naturally.
32
Finish with Fresh Herbs
33
Stir in chopped basil and fresh parsley near the end of cooking.
fresh parsley (chopped )2 tbspextra basil or parsley for garnish (optional)
34
The sauce should be rich, velvety, and deeply flavorful.
35
Cook the Pasta
36
Boil orecchiette pasta in salted water until al dente.
orecchiette pasta1 lb
37
Drain, but reserve a bit of pasta water.
38
While still hot, toss pasta with: - A couple of tablespoons of butter - Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
butter2 tbsp
39
Serve It Up
40
Spoon the hot sauce over the pasta—or toss it all together in the pot.
41
Add a splash of reserved pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
42
Garnish with extra basil or parsley if desired.
fresh parsley (chopped )2 tbspextra basil or parsley for garnish (optional)
Nutrition Facts
calories
536.07 kcal
fat Content
15.74 g
serving Size
1 serving
fiber Content
6.23 g
sugar Content
14.7 g
sodium Content
1021.84 mg
protein Content
20.86 g
trans Fat Content
0.15 g
cholesterol Content
26.25 mg
carbohydrate Content
77.3 g
saturated Fat Content
6.83 g
unsaturated Fat Content
7.48 g
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