A little while back we had dinner with Kyra and Matt (of wedding catering project fame). I was cooking for everyone, and as I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, Matt is a vegetarian. I’ve gotten better at coming up with vegetarian main dishes, but always worry Matt will get stuck with a dish he doesn’t like, or no real main dish. It sort of seems like vegetarians often have to make a meal out of side dishes. Am I the only one who’s noticed this?
Anyhow, I decided to make something Italian, which is pretty much my go-to whenever I’m not sure what to make, or pretty much whenever I can get away with it, because I love Italian food. I decided I would try making a mushroom ragù. From what I understand mushrooms can have a “meat like” quality in that they hit the savory notes well; (Probably due to the whole umami factor…) and have some real substance to them. But, either way I figured it would make a proper main dish for a vegetarian. I made a pot of classic ragù for anyone who wasn’t feeling the mushroom thing, and we were set.
So… the mushroom ragù turned out amazing. In, fact so amazing that I didn’t even bother eating the meat ragù. (I know!) It was actually so good that I made the recipe again, and again, on other nights when no vegetarians would even be present at dinner. (I know!) I’ve actually become completely obsessed with mushrooms since, and started adding them to everything. So tasty.
Another evening a few weeks later I decided I wanted to make my new fave mushroom ragù for dinner, but didn’t have nearly enough mushrooms on hand. It occurred to me to try adding other vegetables to the ragù as well. Which led to the discovery of another win: we’ll call it a roasted very vegetable ragù! It has green bell pepper, carrot, onion, mushroom, in addition to the tomatoes of course.
Both recipes are so good, I figured I’d give you a two for one and share both today. Enjoy!
Mushroom Ragù
- 16 oz of baby bella mushrooms washed and sliced
- 16 oz white mushrooms washed and sliced
- 3 oz portabello mushrooms washed and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 onion diced fine
- 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- splash of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar (optional, will help with caramelization)
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 28 oz cans San Marzano (style) tomatoes (If you don’t have enough cooking time for the full 3 hours, start with crushed tomatoes.)
- 1/4 cup red wine (I used Merlot)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Place mushrooms, garlic, onion, and sprigs of rosemary in a dutch oven. Pour a generous splash of olive oil over the vegetables. Season the vegetables liberally with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with sugar (if desired). Place the dutch oven in the oven uncovered. Roast the mushrooms until very dark and fragrant, this will take 45 minutes to an hour.
2. When the mushrooms are very dark and fragrant remove from the oven and transfer to the stove top. The mushrooms will have made a lot of their own broth, do not drain it off. Add the tomatoes, red wine, and vegetable broth to the dutch oven. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 2-4 hours until the tomatoes fall apart and a thick sauce is formed.
3. Optional: Use an immersion blender to coarsely chop/puree the mushrooms and tomatoes, this creates a “ground beef like texture” with the mushrooms. If you prefer leave the mushrooms whole.
4. When cooking time is complete remove the rosemary stalks. Serve hot over pasta or polenta.
Roasted Very Vegetable Ragù
- 3 green bell peppers washed, seeded, and halved
- 8 oz white mushrooms washed
- 6 oz carrots washed and diced
- one small container of cherry tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 onion quarters
- very small bunch of fresh parley (think 10 or so individual pieces)
- splash of olive oil
- 1 teaspoons sugar (optional, will help with caramelization)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 28 oz cans San Marzano (style) tomatoes (If you don’t have enough cooking time for the full 3 hours, start with crushed tomatoes.)
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1. Preheat the oven to 400*F. Place bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, and parsley in a dutch oven. Pour a generous splash of olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Season the vegetables liberally with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with sugar (if desired). Place the dutch oven in the oven uncovered. Roast the vegetables until very dark, even slightly blackened, and fragrant, this will take 45 minutes to an hour.
2. When the vegetables are very dark and fragrant remove from the oven and transfer to the stove top. The vegetables will have made a lot of their own broth, do not drain it off. Add the tomatoes, white wine, and vegetable broth to the dutch oven. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 2-4 hours until the tomatoes fall apart and a thick sauce begins to form.
3. When cooking time is complete use an immersion blender to coarsely chop/puree the vegetables. Serve hot over pasta or polenta.
Note* If you’re not actually a vegetarian feel free to substitute chicken broth for the vegetable broth. Also if you happen to serve either sauce with Italian sausage links… it’s awesome. Also don’t forget some fresh grated parm!
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