Vegetable Bolognese Pasta
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This hearty pasta dish is sophisticated enough to serve to guests, but easy enough to cook any night of the week. It is packed full of vegetables and the shiitake mushrooms give it such a rich flavor you won’t believe there isn’t any meat in the sauce.
In a large food processor (or small food processor, working in batches), add:
3 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 oz. of shiitake mushrooms
6 oz. of assorted mushrooms (white, brown, or cremini) cleaned
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
Pulse vegetables until finely chopped but still a little chunky. You do not want a puree. In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add vegetables and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low and add:
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup vegetable broth
Stir to dissolve the tomato paste and then increase heat to medium high and bring the liquid to a boil. Once it is reduced by half, add:
1 more cup vegetable broth
Turn to low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally. In another pot, bring water to boil for pasta. Add salt once boiling and cook 1 pound of penne or rigatoni according to al dente directions. Just before the pasta is done, to the simmering vegetable sauce add:
*1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
Stir cheese into sauce until just melted. Drain pasta and add cooked pasta to sauce. Toss pasta and sauce, remove from heat and serve immediately. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.
*Mascarpone Cheese is Italian cream cheese. It has the same texture, but it slightly sweeter and richer tasting. You could substitute cream cheese if you can’t find mascarpone, but it gives the sauce a richer flavor so it is worth looking into.
Serves 6-8
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