This post may contain affiliate links, please see the privacy policy for details.
Prepared with garlic, wine, herbs, and a variety of delicious vegetables, this mushroom ragu vegan pasta sauce is well worth making. The homemade spaghetti sauce with mushrooms makes it the best ragu recipe for vegans or anyone that loves vegetables. So if you want to enjoy a new version of this classic dish, try this meatless ragu.
Mushroom ragu is vegan-friendly and packed with fresh flavours. It makes a satisfying meal served over hot, freshly cooked pasta. This vegetable-rich take on ragu sauce is sure to have you licking your lips!
Also try this garden veggie macaroni (with a vegan dressing), vegan miso ramen soup or vegan kung pao. Vegan meatballs are pretty special too.
Meatless Ragu Ingredients
This is the best ragu recipe if you are looking for something boasting plenty of vegetables. Along with mushrooms, you will need onion, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Both dried porcini mushrooms and fresh mushrooms feature in the dish.
You can use button mushrooms, chestnut mushrooms or your preferred kind. The porcini mushrooms can be replaced with another type of dried mushrooms, such as cremini, or you can sub any other kind of fresh mushrooms instead.
Maybe your grocery store carries mixed woodland mushrooms. If so, the combination of shiitake, oyster and chestnut mushrooms will add plenty of depth to your vegan pasta sauce.
Garlic, vegan red wine, thyme, rosemary, and vegetable stock also go into this homemade spaghetti sauce with mushrooms. Feel free to change the vegetables for others. Zucchini, eggplant and other veggies would be fine and you can also swap the onion for shallots or for a sweet onion variety (such as Vidalia) for a sweeter flavour in the sauce.
How to Make Mushroom Ragu
First of all you will need to rehydrate the dried mushrooms for this vegan ragu by letting them sit in hot water. Meanwhile, go ahead and sauté the chopped onion, carrots and celery with fresh herbs.
Add the garlic and then the fresh mushrooms and, after that, the wine. After a couple of minutes, drain the porcini mushrooms and chop them before adding them to the pan.
Add the remaining ingredients and let the vegan pasta sauce simmer while you cook the pasta. Toss the drained, cooked pasta in the homemade spaghetti sauce with mushrooms and enjoy hot. Vegan parmesan cheese could be added on top if desired.
How to Serve Mushroom Ragu
The definition of ragu is an Italian sauce served with pasta. You might think the best ragu recipe is similar to a Bolognese recipe. While these sauces are similar, Bolognese is typically served with wide pasta shapes like lasagne for example.
Ragu, on the other hand, is a thicker, chunkier sauce which is thought to pair better with smaller pasta shapes. For this reason, I like this homemade spaghetti sauce with mushrooms over ziti, penne or something ridged like rigate which will hold more sauce. Forget pappardelle and other wide, flat types of pasta – save those for creamy pasta dishes.
In Italy, the most popular options for pairing with ragu are tortellini, gnocchi or tagliatelle.
Once you’ve tossed the mushroom ragu with the pasta, you can serve the dish as it is. Optionally you might like to add a side dish. Anything from some crisp garlic bread to a simple green salad would pair nicely with this meatless ragu.
Vegan Mushroom Ragu FAQs
Vegan wine is made without using animal products like casein, isinglass, gelatine, or albumin.
This vegan pasta sauce will keep for a couple of days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for several months as long as you use an airtight container or Ziploc bags.
Mushroom Ragu Sauce Recipe
Mushroom Ragu – Vegan Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 3/4 Ounce porcini mushrooms, dried
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 Stalks celery, finely chopped
- 3 Cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
- 16 Ounce mushrooms, finely chopped
- 3/4 Cup red wine, vegan
- 1 Can crushed tomatoes, 14 ounces
- 2 Tablespoons thyme, fresh, leaves stripped from stems, finely chopped
- 1 Sprig rosemary, leaves stripped from stem, finely chopped
- 1 Cup vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 12 Ounces pasta, vegan
Instructions
- Add the dried porcini mushrooms to a small bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large cooking pan then add the onion, carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme. Sauté over a medium heat for 5 minutes
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
- Turn up the heat and pour the wine into the pan, bring it to the boil and allow the alcohol to evaporate for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, drain the porcini mushrooms but reserve the water. Roughly chop the porcini mushrooms.
- To the pan, add the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, chopped porcini mushrooms and the water from the porcini mushrooms. Bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, add salt and pepper to taste and cook for 45 minutes
- When the sauce is almost ready, prepare the pasta according to the cooking instructions. Drain the pasta and add it straight to the sauce, coating the pasta well.
Notes
- Hopefully, you’ll be able to find dried porcini mushrooms in your local store. They add a real depth of flavour to the mushroom ragu. If they are not available you can substitute with dried shiitake mushrooms or, leave them out.
- We used a mixed selection of woodland mushrooms which included the chestnut, shiitake and oyster varieties. However, you can use any variety of mushrooms you enjoy.
- We have found the best way to prepare the mushrooms for this dish is tearing them into small chunks by hand and then running a very sharp knife through the torn mushrooms to chop them into small pieces. This gives the appearance of ‘mushroom mince’ and thus the ragu-like sauce.
- Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge where it will keep for 2 days. Mushroom Ragu freezes very well for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Rich in flavours and veggie appeal, this vegan ragu is really good. It’s the best ragu recipe and it is perfect served over your favourite kind of pasta.
Other Recipes You Will Love
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
This mushroom ragu pasta sauce was a hit! Perfect for our meatless Monday dinners.
The best pasta sauce ever. I can’t get enough of this!!
I made this yesterday and it was a hit! 😋
This easy pasta recipe is my go-to for when I am too busy to make dinner, but still want something good!
Mouthwateringly good! This has become an instant favorite.
absolutely delicious, definitely going to make this regularly
These photos are so lovely! I must try this