Best Vegetarian Bolognese With Bucatini Recipes

Vegetarian Bolognese image

Provided by Ali Slagle

Time 45m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

Kosher salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium (1 to 1 1/2-pound) cauliflower, stem and head coarsely chopped into pieces no bigger than 1/2 inch
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup whole milk
1 fresh bay leaf or thyme sprig
1 pound rigatoni or another ridged dried pasta, or fresh pappardelle or tagliatelle
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Steps:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter with the olive oil over medium-high. When foaming, add the onion, carrots and cauliflower, season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few pepper grinds. Cook, stirring just once or twice, until browned and juicy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, soy sauce and garlic and cook, stirring and smashing the vegetables, until the tomato paste is a shade darker and sticks to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the milk and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low, and stir to combine, scraping up browned bits from the pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has thickened slightly and the vegetables are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. (At first the pan will look dry, then the vegetable liquid will thin the sauce and it will thicken slightly).
Halfway through cooking the sauce, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain. If the sauce is ready before the pasta, remove sauce from heat and keep covered.
Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the pasta, 1/2 cup pasta water, the Parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir vigorously until the pasta is well coated, adding more pasta water as needed until the sauce is glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with more grated Parmesan on top.

Vegetarian Bolognese with Bucatini image

Provided by Shira Bocar

Time 1h30m

Number Of Ingredients 13

1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
1 rosemary sprig, roughly chopped
1 pound bucatini or spaghetti
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino, finely grated (1/2 cup), plus more for serving

Steps:

Working in batches, pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely ground (you should have 6 cups). Transfer to a bowl. Add tomatoes and their juices to processor; pulse until chopped, then transfer to a liquid cup measure (you should have 3 cups).
Heat butter and oil in a large pot over medium. Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and season with salt; cook, stirring, until mushrooms have softened and released their liquid, 7 to 8 minutes.
Add sherry and increase heat to medium-high; cook until liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes more. Add tomatoes, 1 cup water, and rosemary. Season with pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 30 to 45 minutes. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain. Return pasta to pot over medium heat and add 4 cups sauce, tossing to combine. Add cheese and drizzle with oil, then add reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce has a silky consistency and evenly coats pasta. Remove from heat; serve with more cheese.