What is it about pasta that is so comforting? Carbs mixed with tomatoes and covered in cheese seems pretty comforting to me! Sometimes pasta can feel heavy, so I wanted to give you a lighter Bolognese sauce using mushrooms instead of meat. It is packed with flavor and the mushrooms provide the meatiness that the sauce needs. It’s perfect for Meatless Monday or anytime you’re wanting a lightened up pasta dish.
But before I move onto the pasta recipe, did you see the news that I shared on Instagram yesterday? We’re having another baby! We are so excited to be welcoming our third child in late October. You may have noticed that while I normally post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, there were days that I didn’t post a recipe for unexplained reasons. Unfortunately I had a bit of a rough first trimester and there were days that I couldn’t even look at food, even if I had a recipe planned for the blog. Thank you for sticking with me, and now the secret is out! I’m feeling much better and you can continue to expect yummy food here in the coming months.
And now back to this pasta! I think a good Bolognese sauce requires a few things, tomatoes in a few forms (here I use crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste), red wine, and some heat from red pepper flakes. Not enough for you to think the pasta is spicy, but enough to bring out all the wonderful flavors you’ve brought together and make the taste more memorable. Tomatoes are obvious, but sometimes not using tomato paste in a homemade sauce can leave it lacking that rich tomato flavor that you crave. I think red wine is an obvious choice for making a delicious sauce! Don’t leave it out!
Even if you think your Bolognese sauce needs meat, I encourage you to try this!
- 1 lb. linguini
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 oz. mushrooms, chopped
- 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 15 oz. tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- ¾ cup red wine
- 1 tbsp. dried oregano
- 1 tbsp. dried basil
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, heat olive oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms and cook until tender.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, red wine, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour sauce over pasta and toss to combine.
- Serve topped with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
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