Who doesn’t love a hearty bowl of pasta — especially during the winter months when comfort food is on our minds? One of my go-to comfort meals is Penne Bolognese.
Bolognese is a traditional Italian meat sauce. While my family eats meat, I was convinced I could make a meatless version of my Bolognese sauce, which would be altogether healthier, as well as something that I could share with my non-meat eating friends.
My Bolognese sauce always includes carrots, celery, onion, garlic and a large can of crushed tomatoes. However, I replaced the ground meat with baby bella mushrooms which are known for their meaty taste and texture. I individually food processed each vegetable in order to cut down on the chopping! Plus, my kids don’t like big chunks of vegetables in their pasta sauce.
Aside from the mushrooms, everything is the same. I incorporated a little cream and topped the sauce with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — but you can skip these steps if you are not into dairy.
I used my sauce on top of whole grain pasta, and I like penne (or rigatoni which I featured in the photo) because the shape of the pasta scoops up the sauce. That being said, any pasta would work – you could even use cooked spaghetti squash or some spiralized veggies!
So, the verdict? It was da bomb! We all loved it. Even my kids! They did notice a slightly sweeter tasting sauce, but they devoured it. NO questions asked!
This recipe totally qualifies as healthy comfort food, and, as far as I’m concerned, this recipe was a success. I hope you think so too!
Meatless Bolognese
Yields one pot of sauce, enough for 1 lb of pasta
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic, crushed
10 oz of baby bella mushrooms
1/4 cup of olive oil
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup of water (or more depending on the thickness of your sauce)
1, 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
1 tablespoon of chopped basil
1/4 cup of half and half or heavy cream (optional)
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (optional)
1 lb of penne or rigatoni or any shaped pasta you like!
In the base of a food processor, chop the carrots, celery, onion. Reserve vegetables. Then, in a large pot over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of olive oil. This may seem like a lot of olive oil, but the vegetables will soak it up. Once the oil comes to temperature, add the chopped vegetables and the crushed garlic; cook until they soften 7-10 minutes. Then, add the chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper, to taste, and one bay leaf. Cook until the mushrooms soften and all of the vegetables are combined. Keep in mind that the mushrooms will release some much needed water. Once all the vegetables are softened, add the crushed tomatoes and the 1/2 cup of water or more, depending on the desired thickness of sauce. Simmer the sauce for approximately 20 minutes. If you decide to add the cream, you will do so just before dressing the pasta.
In a large pot of salted water, cook your pasta until it’s al dente. Drain the pasta and top with the Bolognese sauce. Top with the parsley, basil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Helpful hints: You can use white mushrooms if you have them on hand, but I tried it both ways, and we definitely preferred the baby portobello mushroom version.
