Cauliflower Mushroom Bolognese Recipes

VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven: Preheat oven to 425°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Chop and prep the cauliflower: In a food processor, pulse the machine to chop the cauliflower into small pieces. You are not making cauliflower rice, so stop pulsing when the cauliflower is finely chopped with a few small chunks. Mound in the center of one of the baking sheets. Sprinkle the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Toss to coat and spread it on the baking sheet in a single layer.
• Chop and prep the mushrooms: Without washing the food processor, add the mushrooms to the bowl and pulse the machine until the mushrooms are finely chopped. Mound in the center of the other baking sheet. Sprinkle the mushrooms with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Toss to coat it in the oil and spread it on the baking sheet in one layer.
• Meanwhile, cook the onions and garlic: In a large deep skillet over medium heat add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. If the onions start to stick to the bottom of the pan, add water, 1 tablespoon at time, to release them. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta of your choice according to the package directions. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water to reserve it for thinning the sauce if necessary. Drain the pasta in a colander. If your sauce looks too thick, stir in some of the pasta water just a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
• Serve: Mound a nest of pasta onto a plate, ladle some sauce over the top, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley, if using.

CAULIFLOWER BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out food processor bowl.
• Working in 3 batches, pulse cauliflower in food processor until pieces are about the size of a grain of rice (some smaller and some larger ones are fine), transferring to a medium bowl as you go.
• Heat ¼ cup oil and 2 Tbsp. butter in a large heavy pot over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 4-6 minutes. Add onion and 2 Tbsp. oil to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, chile, and rosemary and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is softened and mixture is very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste is slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and cook, still stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is cooked down slightly and begins to stick to bottom of pot, 6-8 minutes. Season with salt, then keep warm over low heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until almost al dente, about 1 minute less than package directions.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta to pot with sauce. Add 1 cup Parmesan, remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, and 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Increase heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente and sauce is clinging to pasta, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt (it'll probably need another pinch or two). Finely zest lemon over pasta and toss once more.
• Divide pasta among bowls. Top with more Parmesan, then drizzle with oil.

CHICKPEA PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a food processor, blitz the cauliflower until it is riced and tip into a bowl. Add the mushrooms to the food processor and pulse these too until they are chopped small.
• Heat the oil in a large saute pan and fry the onion for 5 minutes over a medium heat until soft, then add the garlic, chile flakes and rosemary and fry for 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower and mushrooms, season well with salt and pepper and fry over a high heat for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato puree and cook for a few more minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 250ml (1 cup) of the water. Add the pasta to the cauliflower pan and toss together with half the Parmesan for 2 to 3 minutes, loosen with the reserved pasta cooking water as needed. Serve with the rest of the Parmesan scattered over the top.

CAULIFLOWER BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes, then cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
• Meanwhile, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for a couple minutes under the recommended time.
• Add the tomato paste and cauliflower to the onions, then stir to combine. Continue to cook, stirring, until the cauliflower begins to caramelize and the tomato paste has cooked down, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta, pasta water, pecorino and remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pot with the sauce. Stir and toss until totally combined.
• Add the cream and season to taste. Serve topped with fresh basil and a little more pecorino.

CAULIFLOWER & MUSHROOM BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a food processor, or by hand, chop and mince mushrooms and cauliflower. Set aside.
• In a heated skillet, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil and melt 1 tablespoon butter until glistening. Add in onions and carrots and sweat out for 5-6 minutes until softened and sautéed and slightly browning.
• Season with salt, pepper, add in your garlic as well as your sage, basil and red pepper flakes. Mix well until bloomed. 1-2 minutes.
• Add in tomato paste and allow that to reduce down another 5-6 minutes.
• Next, add your minced mushrooms and cauliflower with your red wine and balsamic to reduce down.
• Add in your peeled tomatoes and juice with a parmesan rind. Mix until all combined. Simmer on medium low to low for about 1-3 hours until everything is soft (the longer you simmer, the more flavor), reduced and flavorful! It should have some liquid, but should be thickened and everything should have loads of flavor. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste.
• When the bolognese in ready, cook pasta according to the package instructions, season with salt when boiling.
• Toss your pasta in the bolognese with pasta water. At this point, you can also add another tablespoon or two of butter. Add in shredded parmigiano reggiano. Off heat, top off with chopped parsley, lemon squeeze, zest and serve!

VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter with the olive oil over medium-high. When foaming, add the onion, carrots and cauliflower, season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few pepper grinds. Cook, stirring just once or twice, until browned and juicy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, soy sauce and garlic and cook, stirring and smashing the vegetables, until the tomato paste is a shade darker and sticks to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the milk and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low, and stir to combine, scraping up browned bits from the pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has thickened slightly and the vegetables are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. (At first the pan will look dry, then the vegetable liquid will thin the sauce and it will thicken slightly).
• Halfway through cooking the sauce, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain. If the sauce is ready before the pasta, remove sauce from heat and keep covered.
• Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the pasta, 1/2 cup pasta water, the Parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir vigorously until the pasta is well coated, adding more pasta water as needed until the sauce is glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with more grated Parmesan on top.