This Mushroom Pasta Sauce combines fresh and dried mushrooms, aromatic vegetables, and a splash of white wine. It takes about an hour to prepare. The result is a rich, hearty mushroom ragù that tastes like it came from an Italian grandmother's kitchen.
I love making this mushroom ragù for pasta on weekend afternoons when I have time to let it simmer. The end result is worth every minute spent stirring the pot.
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🗝️ Recipe's key points
- The mix of fresh and dried mushrooms adds layers of flavor. This makes the mushroom ragù taste very rich and satisfying.
- Though it takes some time, most of it is just letting the sauce simmer while you do other things.
- It freezes beautifully, so I often make a double batch and save portions for busy weeknights.
When I first tried this recipe, I couldn't believe how meaty it tasted without any meat at all. The mushrooms develop such a deep, savory quality that even my carnivore friends ask for seconds.
🛒 Ingredients
This is an overview of the meatless ragù ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
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- Dried porcini mushrooms - These little powerhouses add incredible depth.
- Mixed fresh mushrooms - I use a mix of cremini, shiitake, oyster, and whatever looks good at the market.
- Extra-virgin olive oil - Good quality makes a difference here!
- Onions, carrots, and garlic - These create the flavor base.
- Dry white wine - Adds brightness and helps scrape up all the tasty browned bits.
- Fire-Roasted tomatoes - Regular tomatoes work too, but fire-roasted add a nice dimension.
- Fresh thyme - Pairs perfectly with mushrooms.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
🗒 Instructions
This is an overview of the white wine, mushroom, and tomato instructions. Full instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Start by preparing some boiling water for soaking your porcini mushrooms.
- Soak the dried porcinis in boiling water for about 15 minutes. While they're soaking, clean and slice all your fresh mushrooms.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot.
- Add the garlic.
- Cook the onions, carrot, and garlic until they start to soften. Squeeze the liquid from the porcini (save that liquid!) and strain it to remove any grit.
- Add all your mushrooms and cook until they release their water and begin to brown. Keep cooking and stirring until the mushrooms are well-browned - this is where the magic happens!
- Pour in the wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up all those flavorful browned bits.
- Add tomatoes, the mushroom soaking liquid, and thyme.
- Let everything simmer for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until you have a thick, rich sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper before serving over your favorite pasta.
🥫 Storage
This mushroom ragù keeps well in the refrigerator for about 5 days. I often portion it into containers and freeze some for later - it freezes beautifully for up to 6 months.
To reheat, just warm it gently on the stove. If it seems too thick, add a splash of water or broth to bring it back to life.
📚 Variations
- Want it creamier? Stir in a splash of heavy cream at the end.
- Like it spicy? Add some red pepper flakes when you're cooking the vegetables.
- No white wine? Use vegetable broth with a splash of lemon juice instead.
- Short on time? Use your food processor to chop all the vegetables at once.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Don't rush the mushroom browning step - this creates the deep flavor that makes this sauce special.
- This sauce tastes even better the next day, so don't hesitate to make it ahead.
- Wide pasta shapes like pappardelle or rigatoni work best with this hearty mushroom sauce for pasta.
- A sprinkle of fresh herbs just before serving brightens everything up.
🤔 FAQs
Start by cooking onions, carrots, and garlic. Add fresh and dried mushrooms and cook until they brown. Pour in wine to deglaze the pot, then add tomatoes and herbs. Let everything simmer until thick. The secret is taking time to properly brown the mushrooms - this creates the rich flavor.
For a quicker mushroom pasta sauce, skip the dried mushrooms and reduce the simmering time to 30 minutes. It won't have quite the same depth, but it'll still be delicious.
You can use almost any mushrooms! This recipe uses dried porcini plus fresh cremini, shiitake, oyster, and others. Using different types creates better flavor, but even just cremini mushrooms will make a tasty sauce. Wild mushrooms are great if you can find them.
The biggest mistake is rushing the browning process. Mushrooms need time to release their water and then brown. Also, don't throw away the soaking liquid from dried mushrooms - it adds tons of flavor! Finally, be generous with salt and pepper to bring out the mushroom taste.
Yes! Mushroom pasta is popular throughout Italy, especially in regions where wild mushrooms grow. Italians have been making mushroom ragù for generations, particularly in the fall when fresh mushrooms are plentiful.
📗 Related Recipes
If you're a mushroom lover like me, you'll want to try all of these delicious mushroom-centric recipes:
- Mushroom Baked Rigatoni
- Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- Classic Chicken Cacciatore with Mushrooms
- Roasted Mushroom Steak Soup
- Grilled Portabella Mushroom alla Caprese
- Meatballs in Creamy Mushroom Sauce
- Triple Mushroom Ravioli with Cheese
- Lemon Garlic Roasted Mushrooms Recipe{Funghi Arrostiti con Lemone e Aglio}
For more authentic Italian pasta sauces without meat, try these favorites:
🍽 What to serve with a homemade Mushroom Ragù recipe
For this rich mushroom ragù, I'd recommend serving it over pasta shapes that can hold and capture the chunky sauce well. Here are some excellent options:
- Pappardelle - These wide, flat ribbons are perfect for hearty ragù sauces
- Tagliatelle - Similar to pappardelle but slightly narrower
- Rigatoni - The ridges and tubes capture sauce perfectly
- Fettuccine - Wide enough to stand up to the hearty texture
- Orecchiette - Their cup-like shape holds bits of mushroom well
If you're looking for a wine to pair, try a medium-bodied red like Chianti or Pinot Noir. They go wonderfully with the earthy flavors of mushrooms
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Large pot - Deep enough to hold all ingredients without splashing
- Liquid measuring cup - For measuring ingredients accurately
- Silicone spatula - For folding all the ingredients together gently
- Chef's knife and cutting board- For slicing mushrooms and mincing vegetables
- Wooden spoon - Essential for stirring and scraping those flavorful browned bits from the bottom of the pot
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
And there you have it, my Mushroom Ragù—meaty without the meat, and every bit as satisfying. I can't tell you how many times this recipe has saved dinner. When I wanted something abbondante (hearty), but didn't want to cook carne (meat), this was my go-to. It’s perfect for those nights when I don’t have any meat for a pasta sauce!
This sugo (sauce) recipe is cozy; it's comforting, and honestly? It's pure magic on a plate. No matter how you use it, this sauce is a winner. You can pour it over pasta, mix it into polenta, or even sneak a bite straight from the pentola (pan). It makes any night feel warm and delicious!
Buon appetito, my friend! Let me know how you serve yours—I always love hearing from you. ❤️
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📖 Recipe
Mushroom Pasta Sauce An Italian Meatless Ragù
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 cups boiling water
- 3 pounds 8 ounces mixed fresh mushrooms such as cremini, shiitake, hen of the woods, and oyster (the use of wild mushroom mix makes the sauce tastier)
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions minced (see notes)
- 1 large carrot minced (see notes)
- 15 medium cloves garlic minced (see notes)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 15-ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed with juices
- 4 sprigs thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium heatproof mixing bowl, combine dried porcini with 2 cups boiling water and let stand 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, wash fresh mushrooms and discard woody stems, such as on cremini and shiitake mushrooms (or save stems for making mushroom or vegetable stock). Thinly slice mushrooms (in the case of hen of the woods mushrooms, tear by hand into thin strips)
- In a large pot, heat oil over high heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrot, and garlic, and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown on the bottom of the pot, about 6 minutes.
- Add fresh and soaked dried mushrooms to the pot. Cook them while stirring and scraping the bottom. They will release water and start to brown. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Continue cooking, scraping the bottom of the pot and reaching into corners until it becomes difficult to scrape up browned bits and they threaten to burn, about 15 minutes longer.
- Add wine, scraping up browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Add tomatoes, dried mushroom soaking liquid, and thyme.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Cook while stirring often and scraping the bottom of the pot. This helps prevent burning. Keep cooking until the mushroom sauce thickens and there’s no water left. This should take about 1 to 2 hours.Discard the thyme stems.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Mushroom ragù can be served on pasta or with polenta. Keep refrigerated for up to 5 days or freeze for 6 months.
Notes
For speed, feel free to mince the carrot, onions, and garlic in a food processor.
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