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Servings: 4
Calories: 362kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound portobello mushrooms finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion diced
- 1 cup carrot peeled and finely diced
- 1 stalk celery finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 ¾ cups crushed tomatoes ½ of a 28-ounce can
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small bundle fresh thyme
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
- 1 pound cooked pappardelle or pasta of choice to serve
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until they release their liquid and it fully evaporates. The mushrooms should be deeply browned.1 pound portobello mushrooms, 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Reduce heat to medium-high. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables soften and the onion becomes translucent.1 cup sweet onion, 1 cup carrot, 1 stalk celery, 2 cloves garlic
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, until darkened and fragrant.2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Let the wine simmer for 2–3 minutes, until the alcohol cooks off.1 cup dry red wine
- Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Tuck in the bay leaf and thyme. Reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the flavors deepen.1 ¾ cups crushed tomatoes, Salt and black pepper, 1 bay leaf, 1 small bundle fresh thyme
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme bundle. Taste and adjust seasoning. Toss half of the sauce with cooked pasta and serve with extra Bolognese spooned on top.1 pound cooked pappardelle or pasta of choice
- Garnish with fresh parsley.Fresh parsley
Notes
- Chop the mushrooms finely: The smaller you chop the portobellos, the more they'll resemble ground meat and blend seamlessly into the sauce.
- Don't skip the browning step: Cooking the mushrooms until all their liquid evaporates and they turn golden brown concentrates their umami flavor and creates that meaty richness.
- Use a dry red wine you'd drink: The wine adds depth and acidity to the sauce, so choose something like Chianti, Merlot, or Cabernet Sauvignon that tastes good on its own.
- Simmer low and slow: The longer you let the sauce simmer (from 20 minutes to an hour), the thicker and more flavorful it becomes as the ingredients meld.
- Adjust thickness to your preference: If the sauce gets too thick during simmering, add a splash of pasta cooking water or vegetable broth to loosen it up.
- Flash-freeze for easy portions: Freeze individual portions of bolognese on a baking sheet for 1 hour before transferring to containers or freezer bags so they don't stick together, and you can grab exactly what you need.
Nutrition
Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 1008mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 5738IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg
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