Main Courses, Recipes

Mushroom Bolognese

by Lisa Dawn

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I love this dish! Mushrooms, aromatics, pasta. Quick and easy, ready in the time it takes to make the pasta. A great dish for Meatless Monday, or any day of the week!

Use either regular little white mushrooms or creminis. You just simply drop them into the food processor and grind them up. No chopping necessary! And believe it or not, ground up mushrooms freeze really well, so if you are ever in a pinch, and you have extra mushrooms, grind them up in the food processor and freeze them. Then, you can drop them right into the skillet for this dish!

These measurements are for one serving, because I am in the only mushroom bolognese lover in mu house, but easily double, triple or quadruple to feed your household. Oh, and it’s oil free too!

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Mushroom Bolognese

Servings 1 big bowl

Ingredients

  • 1/4 lbs pasta (I love these fun, long fusillis, but tagliatelle, fettucine, or papardelle are more traditional)
  • 1 shallot
  • 6 white or cremini mushrooms ground (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 3 shakes dried thyme
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup cashew cream recipe below
  • 1 pinch salt
  • pasta water, as needed
  • basil, for garnish

Cashew Cream

  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 3/4 cup filtered water

Instructions

  1. Get the pasta going.

  2. If using fresh mushrooms, take the stems off (save them for homemade veg stock) and add to the food processor. Process until finely ground.

  3. Heat a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Thinly slice the shallots and add them to the pan. Add the mushrooms and let them cook together until the mushrooms are browning and fragrant. No need to use oil. The natural water in the mushrooms will be enough. If necessary, add a tablespoon of water to get the party started. (If using frozen mushrooms, break them up a bit with a wooden spoon. It shouldn’t take very long for them to cook through.)

  4. Press the garlic over the mushrooms. Add a few shakes of thyme and a pinch of salt and mix together. Add the tomato paste and cook out for a minute. Add the cashew cream and mix everything together. Let it simmer on low heat until the pasta is ready.

  5. When the pasta is ready, use tongs to transfer it right into the sauce. Toss to coat. Add pasta water if the sauce is too thick.

  6. Garnish with fresh basil. Enjoy!

Cashew Cream

  1. If you don’t have a Vitamix or high speed blender, soak the cashews for 4 hours or overnight. Or, you can pour boiling water over them and let them sit for 10 minutes. Drain and add new water.

  2. Blend the cashews and water until smooth and creamy.

  3. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.

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