Katie Lee Biegel loves a hearty Bolognese sauce and the mushrooms give the same feeling but are much lighter. Its a vegetarian dish that can easily be made vegan as well, and is great as leftovers!
- 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms
- 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 shallots, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional, can be replaced with a vegan creamer)
- 1 pound rigatoni or penne
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (dairy or vegan)
TECHNIQUE TIP: If you don’t have a food processor, use a knife to mince the mushrooms as finely as possible.
Ⓥ VEGAN OPTION: To make this dish vegan, use an unsweetened milk and Parmesan alternatives. I’ve found that cashew milk is nice and creamy.
Directions:
- In a food processor, combine the carrot and all the mushrooms. Pulse until the mixture has the consistency of ground meat.
- Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, until the garlic is tender. Stir in the mushroom mixture.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the mushrooms begin to have some color and have released their water, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Add the red wine and cream, if using. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season aggressively with salt. Add the rigatoni and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- Stir the rigatoni into the mushroom sauce. Add about half of the pasta water, more if it seems dry. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Serve immediately.
