Mushroom Bolognese, Vegan Penne Rigate Mushroom Bolognese

Easy to make Healthy Vegetarian/Vegan Penne Rigate Mushroom Ragu Bolognese Recipe. No cheese, No meat and No dairy Pasta Bolognese (Lite Recipe) for meat less mondays.

Its getting cold and rainy here in Bangalore. Pasta dinners are the perfect answer for rainy days. We love pasta dinners at home. This is the vegan makeover that is as rich and warm as the meaty classic bolognese. I wanted to make our pasta dinners healthy and I ended up with this no meat, no cheese, no cream version so one can go for guilt free seconds. This recipe is all about bringing in the various textures and aromatics. Meaty mushrooms add a rich and hearty taste to this dish. So lets go and do a “I cant believe its not meat” Ragu Bolognese.

Like Julia Child says always take a bigger pan than you think is necessary. It works like a charm every single time. You will be happy you did. Heat the pan and add in the olive oil and garlic. I run the garlic through the garlic press. Add in the finely chopped onions and salt and fry till translucent and starting to brown. I almost always add the salt with the onions.

Once the onions are done add in the meaty finely chopped mushrooms and the carrots.You can also place mushrooms and carrots in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Let it cook for a good 10-15 minutes in medium flame until all the juices have evaporated and the mushrooms are starting to caramelize. The mushrooms should reduce down to about a quarter of its starting volume. Add in half a teaspoon each of sugar, soy sauce , pepper, chilli flakes and apple cider vinegar. Soy sauce adds that certain Je ne sais quoi. Add in the pureed skinned, De-seeded tomatoes. I just run the tomatoes in the food processor and strain. That’s my easy route to skinned De-seeded tomatoes. I just strain the tomatoes right over the pan.

Reduce the flame to low and let it simmer for a good 20 minutes. Add in the cooked Penne Rigate or any other pasta of your choice and let it finish cooking in the sauce for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Add in the fresh basil and serve hot. Truly delicious, healthy and awesome Meatless Mondays.