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Chef Kristen Kish's Quick Veggie Bolognese

Author Kristen Kish

Equipment

  • Food processer with blade attachment
  • Large Dutch oven with a lid or something similar. See photo
  • General cooking utensils – spoon, knife, cutting board
  • Microplane grater or fine cheese grater
  • Large pot to cook pasta, strainer, & serving bowl(s)

Ingredients

Quick Veggie Bolognese
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 small red onion small diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 pound shiitake mushroom, de-stemmed and ground *or your favorite mushroom (about 4 cups) If using another type of mushroom, It could contain more moisture and it might need to cook longer to draw the moister out.
  • 1 tbsp. garlic, finely minced (about 2 cloves of garlic)
  • 1 tbsp. rosemary, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp. thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (red works great too)
  • 3 medium carrots, minced (about 2 cups)
  • 1 large white sweet potato (about 2 cups) or parsnips (peeled and grated) (about 2 cups) *I find the white Japanese ones are less sweet.
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (red works great too)
  • 3 Roma tomatoes blended (about 1-1/2cups) 
  • 1 to 1-1/2 cups of water or stock (or as needed)
  • 3 sprigs of basil with leaves plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated plus more for garnish
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • chili flake to taste
  • Your favorite dried pasta cooked or GF pasta if you prefer *also delicious on polenta or rice… or your favorite protein
  • sherry or red wine vinegar to taste (ends up being about 2 tsp)
  • 4 oz. goat cheese For a vegan option, vegan cream cheese from Kite Hill is delicious. It’s almond-based. You can dress it up with some lemon zest for an extra tang like goat cheese.

Instructions

  • Use a cheese grater or food processor to grind/shred the mushrooms, carrots, and sweet potato, separately.
  • Over medium-high heat, add olive oil to the pot with the red onions. Season the onions with a little salt and cook for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium while you are chopping the other ingredients.
  • Increase the heat to medium-high, add the mushrooms and stir. Allow mushrooms to cook for 2-4 minutes. You will hear a sizzle, that Is the water coming out of the mushrooms.
  • Add the minced garlic into the pot and stir. Cook for another 5 minutes. The onions will continue to caramelize, and the mushrooms will continue to cook down.
  • Layering the flavors Is key to building this sauce.
  • Add the chopped fresh thyme and rosemary at the same time. The flavor will be more Intense as the herbs hit the hot oil.
  • Make a small well in the middle of the pot, add the tomato paste into the center of the well, and cook the tomato paste in the oil. If you do not see oil in the middle of the well, add a little more oil in the middle of the well, then add the tomato paste. 
  • Cook for another few minutes until you hear the sizzle. The temperature might need to be adjusted a little higher. Listen for the sizzle. (Note: Every time you add an ingredient, it lowers the temperature in the pot)
  • Add the ground carrots and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes. If vegetables begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, you can add a touch more oil. Cook for a few minutes.
  • Add the grated or food-processed sweet potato into the pot. Stir to combine.
  • Add the wine to the pot and cook until there is not any wine left in the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the blended tomatoes to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the basil into the pot and stir. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the water or stock to the pot, enough to cover the vegetables in the pot.
  • Taste your sauce and add salt if needed.
  • Add hot pepper flakes if desired.
  • Add the grated parmesan cheese to your sauce.
  • Simmer (slow bubbling) the sauce for another 25-30 minutes. You want the vegetables to still have a nice bite. You might need to add a little more water as the sauce simmers.
  • The sauce should have a consistency like chili.
  • Add 1-2 tsp. of vinegar.
To Plate
  • Add your desired amount of pasta to individual serving bowls, top with sauce, top with additional parmesan cheese, a little crumble of goat cheese, and freshly torn basil leaves.
This recipe has been on my Arlo Grey menu (dinner and then brunch) since opening. We do 15 plus vegetables, using both grated, diced, and ground vegetables but I’ve simplified this version for at home focusing on one technique, less knife work, and fewer vegetables. Pending the season, the vegetables can change however you’d like and what is available.
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