Make this easy vegan mushroom bolognese -a healthy and meatless spin on the Italian pasta sauce classic. Shiitake and brown bottom mushrooms add umami and lots of earthy flavor to this rich and hearty homemade vegan bolognese sauce!
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook for about 10 minutes until softened. Add garlic and oregano, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes, avoid putting too much color to it.
Add red wine and bay leaves. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer for about 10 minutes until wine is almost completely reduced (You can see metal when the bubbles pop). Transfer to a larger pot which you can let stand aside, but keep your skillet handy, you’ll be using it again right away after a quick clean.
Add remaining oil to the skillet (3 tbsp) `and bring it up to temperature over medium-high heat. Add all mushrooms and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the liquid completely evaporates and the mushrooms are well-browned. Stir in tomato and miso paste until completely incorporated.
Add canned tomatoes and cook, use a wooden spoon to scrape all the lovely brown bits off the bottom of the pan while you do so. This should take no less than 5 minutes for the tomatoes to lose their “tinned” taste. Add this to the pot of vegetables that you set aside earlier, along with the soy sauce and almond milk.
Bring your combined sauce back up to heat while stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a light simmer once it starts to bubble. Leave it to simmer for about an hour with the lid on, stirring occasionally, letting all your flavors fully develop. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
As you’re getting close to meal-time, salt your pasta water (most important step!) and cook to al dente. Pappardelle tends to cook rather quickly (5-ish minutes, less if fresh) so keep an eye on it! Scoop out ½ cup of pasta water before draining and add it to your mushroom sauce. Now add your drained pasta to the sauce and blast it quickly over high heat, stir heavily to help reduce and incorporate all that pasta water until the sauce is thick and beautiful and your pasta is evenly coated. Garnish and serve.
Vegan Mushroom Bolognese https://www.notenoughcinnamon.com/mushroom-bolognese/