Vegetarian Bolognese

Name: Vegetarian Bolognese
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: Kosher salt and black pepper; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped into 1/4-inch pieces; 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped into 1/4-inch pieces; 1 medium (1 to 1 1/2-pound) cauliflower, stem and head coarsely chopped into pieces no bigger than 1/2 inch; 1/4 cup tomato paste; 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce; 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped; 3/4 cup whole milk; 1 fresh bay leaf or thyme sprig; 1 pound rigatoni or another ridged dried pasta, or fresh pappardelle or tagliatelle; 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

By Ali Slagle

Updated Dec. 11, 2024

Vegetarian Bolognese — Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Susan Spungen.

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(1,748)
Comments: Read comments

Unlike a traditional Bolognese sauce, this riff on the classic has no meat and isn’t simmered for hours, but the results are still rich, buttery and sweet. Mild cauliflower and soffritto — the carrot, celery and onion mix that is the traditional base of the the sauce — become the bulk. Tomato paste and soy sauce are toasted to build umami. Then, everything is braised with whole milk, which softens the vegetables and adds silkiness. Swap the cauliflower for broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, eggplant, or even green lentils, chickpeas or crumbled tempeh. To make it vegan, swap 2 tablespoons oil for butter in Step 1, use nondairy milk, and swap 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast for Parmesan.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

Kosher salt and black pepper
3tablespoons unsalted butter
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1large yellow onion, roughly chopped into ¼-inch pieces
2medium carrots, roughly chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1medium (1 to 1½-pound) cauliflower, stem and head coarsely chopped into pieces no bigger than ½ inch
¼cup tomato paste
2tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
4garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
¾cup whole milk
1fresh bay leaf or thyme sprig
1pound rigatoni or another ridged dried pasta, or fresh pappardelle or tagliatelle
½cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter with the olive oil over medium-high. When foaming, add the onion, carrots and cauliflower, season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few pepper grinds. Cook, stirring just once or twice, until browned and juicy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, soy sauce and garlic and cook, stirring and smashing the vegetables, until the tomato paste is a shade darker and sticks to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 2
Add the milk and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low, and stir to combine, scraping up browned bits from the pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has thickened slightly and the vegetables are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. (At first the pan will look dry, then the vegetable liquid will thin the sauce and it will thicken slightly).
Step 3
Halfway through cooking the sauce, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain. If the sauce is ready before the pasta, remove sauce from heat and keep covered.
Step 4
Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the pasta, ½ cup pasta water, the Parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir vigorously until the pasta is well coated, adding more pasta water as needed until the sauce is glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with more grated Parmesan on top.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,748 user ratings

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Comments

Patrick4 years ago

May I recommend the Marcella hazan Bolognese recipe but substitute beyond meat crumble and only simmering for an hour at the end. Almost indistinguishable from the meat recipe.

Roni4 years ago

delicious! doubled the garlic, added rosemary and red pepper flakes, and deglazed with a little white wine after cooking the vegetables in step 1

Kara H.4 years ago

This was very good and I loved that it was so vegetable dense. If I made it again, these are the few modifications I would make - I would chop the carrots and cauliflower smaller than the instructions say. I also ended up using twice the amount of tomato paste (1 8oz can) and threw in a smidge of the red wine I was drinking after I added the paste. Next time I'd pour myself a glass of wine and I'd pour a healthy glass for the sauce. Otherwise, this is delicious and makes 4 generous portions.

Leigh B3 weeks ago

Well worth the effort. My husband makes a traditional Bolognaise that is out of this world. This recipe is not a substitution for the meaty version. It is fantastic on its own merits. Tastes much more complex than the simple ingredients lead you to believe. Terrific leftovers!

Mika1 month ago

This meal is ok. It needs more flavor. If you are vegan you will like this meal.

Helen3 months ago

Maybe it's just me, but I like the steps in a recipe to be in the proper order. This one has you boiling water for pasta in Step 1 - when it doesn't need to go in until Step 3 (over half an hour later). I also don't see the point of using unsalted butter when you are instructed to add salt in Step 1, again in Step 2, and yet again in Step 4. This so-called bolognese is one of the reasons I am not a vegetarian. The taste was merely OK, nothing special, and in fact a big disappointment.

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