Mushroom Ragù makes a fantastic (and easy) Meatless Monday meal. With all the flavor of a traditional ragù, even meat lovers will love this recipe.
Whether you are a full on vegetarian, working on a “meatless Monday” routine, or just trying to consume a little less meat, this dish is for you. Keith has created a simple mushroom ragù that has all of the flavors of our favorite classic recipe, but without the meat. Mushrooms are our friend here, as they provide texture and flavor that is satisfying for all kinds of appetites and dietary restrictions.
What is ragù?
Ragù is an Italian meat-based sauce commonly served over pasta. It is hearty and flavorful because it is usually slowly cooked for over a long period of time. Our recipe uses mushrooms (instead of meat), which create a surprisingly rich texture and flavor. It's more savory and filling than Pasta Pomodoro. Even die hard meat lovers will love this recipe!
Ingredients:
- FRESH MUSHROOMS: 24 ounces (we like baby bellas or crimini mushrooms)
- CRUSHED TOMATOES: 2-28 oz cans
- GARLIC CLOVES: 4 garlic cloves
- OLIVE OIL: ¾ cup, divided
- FRESH BASIL: 8-10 basil leaves
- CRUSHED RED PEPPER: 2 teaspoons
How to make mushroom ragù:
- In a medium stock pot, heat ½ C olive oil over medium heat.
- Using a food processor, chop mushrooms until they have a rice texture.
- Transfer to pot and cook until dark brown (about 7-10 minutes).
- Chop garlic and add to mushrooms along with crushed tomatoes and crushed red pepper.
- Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and add basil leaves roughly chopped and remaining olive oil.
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Serve over your favorite pasta.
What kind of mushrooms are best for ragù?
The best mushrooms for Mushroom Ragù are the ones you can find!
- We prefer baby bellas or creminis, but you can also use wild mushrooms, Shitaki mushrooms, or oyster mushrooms for a more earthy flavor.
- A mixture of mushrooms works best.
Meatless Mushroom Ragù is a simple and delicious weeknight meal for the family. It’s easy to make and freezes well, so we recommend making extra so that you can enjoy it just as much a second time.
serving suggestions:
GO TRADITIONAL: serve meatless ragù over pasta: linguine, spaghetti, or gnocchi.
COMFORT FOOD: this sauce is perfect over creamy polenta for super satisfying meal.
FLATBREAD TOPPING: this sauce makes a delicious topping for pizza or flatbread. Top with grated parmesan for an easy meal!
This recipe was created for our friends at Fresh Up Your Life. All opinions are our own.
More meatless meals:
Oven Roasted Asparagus Flatbread
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Meatless Mushroom Ragù recipe
Mushroom Ragù makes a fantastic (and easy) Meatless Monday meal. With all the flavor of a traditional ragù, even meat lovers will love this recipe.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 24 oz fresh mushrooms
- 2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¾ C olive oil (divided)
- 8-10 fresh basil leaves
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- In a medium stock pot, heat ½ C olive oil over medium heat.
- Using a food processor chop mushrooms until they have a rice texture.
- Transfer to pot and cook until dark brown (about 7-10 minutes).
- Chop garlic and add to mushrooms along with crushed tomatoes and crushed red pepper.
- Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat and add basil leaves roughly chopped and remaining olive oil.
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Serve over your favorite pasta.
Notes
This is perfect for leftovers and freezes great for future recipes.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: entrée
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¾ Cup
- Calories: 381
- Sugar: 9.7 g
- Sodium: 342.2 mg
- Fat: 35.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.8 g
- Protein: 5.8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Keywords: pasta, mushrooms, sauce, tomato, garlic, Italian, basil, vegetarian, meatless, red, dinner, easy
Pat Torchia says
Too many crushed tomatoes, couldn’t taste mushroom. Followed directions. What could I do to make it more flavorful?
★★
Keith says
Thanks for the comment, while the mushrooms should lend some mushroom flavor this dish is not designed to have a mushroom forward flavor, rather give the sauce a texture that mimics a beef sauce. I would say if the mushroom flavor is what you are looking for, I would add more sautéed mushrooms on top of the finished product. We have also done that ourselves.