Roasted Cauliflower and Mushroom Bolognese

Traditionally, Bolognese is a time consuming, rich, and deeply flavored broth. The meat adds body and umami, but you don’t need meat for a beautiful Bolognese.

In this vegetarian version, while not the same as a traditional Bolognese, roasted cauliflower and mushrooms provide every bit as much flavor and texture as the meat version. Serve it over spaghetti, fettuccini, linguine, or pappardelle noodles, and you’ll enjoy a satisfying, filling dinner full of robust roasted vegetable flavors.

The process of making this is not a slam-dunk in terms of time, but it does provide cooking therapy. When the steps occupy your mind, you can begin to focus on the moment, a good thing when times are challenging.

The cauliflower and mushrooms roast in the oven while you start the sauce. Roasting concentrates and deepens their flavor while you get going on the next few steps on the stovetop.

WHAT IS BOLOGNESE SAUCE?

As the name suggests, Bolognese sauce originated in Bologna, Italy. It is a thick meat sauce made with ground beef or a combination of ground meat such as pork, beef, and veal.

Typically, it starts with a soffritto (finely chopped carrots, celery, and onions) gently cooked in butter. Milk or cream, white wine, and a small amount of tomato enrich the sauce.

The ingredients are added in stages, with each ingredient taking time to cook before adding the next ingredient. When they are all in the pot, the sauce simmers for three to four hours to produce a finished product that is more meat than tomatoes, with a very rich and luscious texture.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE

You will not need hours upon hours to cook this sauce, though it is not a throw-it-in-the-pan kind of meal. Paying careful attention at each step will ensure delicious results.

While the meat version includes a soffritto, ground meat, milk, and wine added in stages to deepen the flavors, the vegetable version uses a few other tricks to coax out hearty flavors from the vegetables.

These are:

• Brown the onions until golden.
• Toast some tomato paste in the skillet.
• Roast the cauliflower and mushrooms in the oven.

These little moves take your sauce from just so-so to so, so delicious. Lentils add protein and thicken the sauce, giving it a similar consistency to meat sauce.

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INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

If you don’t have every ingredient for this recipe, it’s easiest to contemplate substitutions when you know purpose they serve.

• Cauliflower: Has a neutral flavor that merges seamlessly into the tomato sauce. When chopped into small pieces, it gives the sauce thickness with texture. You could use crumbled textured vegetable protein, small cubes of firm tofu, or roasted chopped carrots and celery.
• Mushrooms: Add an umami flavor and could be substituted by the above ingredients or crumbled seitan. Seitan, made from fermented soybeans or whole grains, has a nutty taste.

WHAT KIND OF LENTILS ARE BEST?

Small lentils mimic the texture of ground meat in this vegetarian sauce, while also adding extra protein.

Depending on the type you choose, you may need to adjust the cooking time. Also, since the sauce is made in a wide skillet or sauté pan, more water or vegetable stock may be required, because the liquid in the wide skillet evaporates during longer cooking. You are looking for a consistency that is not soupy, but at the same time, not so thick that it is not pourable. Like, for example, meaty Bolognese sauce!

• Red or yellow lentils will be tender after 15 to 20 minutes of cooking, and I prefer the red variety primarily for speedier preparation.
• You could use French green (puy) lentils and black lentils. They hold their shape in cooking but take longer to soften.

HOW TO STORE AND FREEZE CAULIFLOWER BOLOGNESE

This is a great sauce to double. Use some now and save the rest for another day when you’re too tired to cook, but not in the mood for pizza.

The Fridge: The sauce will keep in the refrigerator in a covered container for three to four days. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate within two hours of cooking the sauce.

The Freezer: For optimal flavor, use frozen sauce within four to six months. The sauce will still be safe to eat for up to one year. If defrosted in the refrigerator, it will keep for an additional three to four days in the fridge. Use microwaved sauce immediately after reheating.

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