Mushroom Pasta Sauce An Italian Meatless Ragù

5 from 1 vote

Whether you feed vegetarians or meat lovers, this Mushroom Ragù recipe will win them over. It's rich and robust and tastes like it simmered all day.

Prep Time1

Total Time2

Course: Egg main dish, Meatless Main Dish

Servings: servings

Calories: 127kcal

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

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.