Mushroom Bolognese Recipe
This is as meaty and satisfying as any bolognese, but it’s completely vegetarian (vegan, if you choose) and very healthy. I made it because I wanted a meat-free bolognese that was still rich and hearty. Crimini mushrooms of different textures was the trick.
- 1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery ribs, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil, separated
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 lb crimini mushrooms, trimmed
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 dried red chili, crushed
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 c madeira wine
- 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1L (about 4 c) tomato puree
- Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
- In a food processor, pulse the onion, carrot and celery together into small pieces.
- Add 2 tbs of oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Transfer onion, carrot and celery mixture to the pot. Add 1/4 tsp of salt, stir and sauté for about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add 1/3 of the mushrooms to the food processor and pulse coarsely. Add another 1/3 of the mushrooms to the chopped mushrooms and pulse again. Add the last 1/3 and pulse until roughly chopped. The first batch will be almost pureed and the last should be mostly large pieces.
- Transfer the mushrooms to the pot and add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Stir and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the liquid from the mushrooms evaporates.
- Add the remaining tbs of oil, the garlic, chili, marjoram and thyme, and stir. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and sugar, stir and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add the madeira wine and red wine vinegar and stir. Cook for one minute to allow some of the alcohol in the wine to cook off.
- Add the pureed tomatoes and the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes.
- To serve, ladle some sauce over cooked linguine or parpadelle and mix to coat the noodles well. Serve pasta onto individual plates and add a little sauce to the top of each. Drizzle with olive oil and/or shaved parmesan, if desired.
Member recipes are not tested by the CHOW food team.

Yummy - and only 3 Weight Watchers Points plus per serving... if you divide it into 8 servings. That's not including pasta.
I thought this was really good, as did my meat-eating husband. Perhaps some rehydrated porcini mushrooms mixed in would be good - not too many or it would overpower. I used merlot wine instead of Madeira, because that's what we had.
One liter equals approx. 33 ounces, so 1 large 28-32 ounce can of tomatoes and their juices would read alot better, make more sense. I too, think it could benefit from a cup of chopped, roasted red bell peppers. And criminis are nice, but I would be tempted to mix it up. Like 1/3 lb. shiitakes, 1/3 lb. chanterelles or dried porcini, and 1/3 lb. criminis. with the same processor technique. That would really add to a deep, meaty mushroom flavor.
Pretty straightforward, but the Madeira and vinegar are a decided touch. Not sure what 1L tomato puree means- a Liter? A Large can? I might be tempted to add some red sweet pepper to the puree (Bell, Italian Sweet, etc)