Nourishing Comfort Food Made Easy!
That slow cooked flavor, and aromatic scent of tomatoes and vegetables simmering into a deep and luxurious sauce. This recipe delivers all of that – and you won’t miss the meat – I promise.
Broiling the vegetables adds intense, rich, charred flavor while the cremini mushrooms, balsamic vinegar and red wine add umami flavors to this healthy and simple ragù.
BE BRAVE and make this gluten free by serving over zucchini noodles or even oven roasted and split sweet potatoes instead of pasta. This dish is essentially vegan, by simply substituting the parmesan cheese with some nutritional yeast.
Enjoy this nourishing, comfort food – it’s like being wrapped in a blanket of yumminess!
Spaghetti with Charred Veggie Ragù
Ingredients
(* indicates my preferred ingredients – see notes for alternatives)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
12 -16 large cloves of garlic
2-3 celery stalks, cut into quarters
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
1 large red bell pepper, deseeded and quartered
1 large poblano pepper, deseeded and quartered
4 large portobello mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
2 tablespoons O&V Roasted Garlic Oil *
5 tablespoons O&V Oregano EVOO *
8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
½ cup tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons O&V IGP Balsamic *
2 teaspoons O&V Sicilian Dipper Seasoning *
1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
½ teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, more or less to taste)
12 oz bronze cut O&V Spaghetti
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
Preparation
Preheat the oven on Low Broil. Place your oven rack 1/3 down from the broiler.
On a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper, toss together the portobello mushrooms, garlic, onion, celery carrots, poblano peppers and red bell peppers with the two tablespoons of Roasted Garlic oil. Spread in a single layer and broil in the oven for 20-30 minutes (flipping the vegetables at the 15-minute mark) until charred in spots.
Transfer the charred vegetables to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
Separately, over medium high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of Oregano oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the quartered cremini mushrooms and cook about 4 minutes without moving, until bottoms are browned. Then, stir and cook an additional 6-8 minutes until browned on all sides.
Stir in the tomato paste and Sicilian Dipper mix. Stir consistently for 2-4 minutes, and then add the red wine and balsamic vinegar. Deglaze the pan (scraping up the stuck bits using the wine) and stir till slightly thickened.
Add the finely chopped roasted vegetable mix, season with salt, pepper, and red chili flakes if using.
Simultaneously, in a large pot of salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta cooking water.
Transfer cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the veggie sauce. Add ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO. Stir in the pasta cooking water ½ cup at a time stirring into the pasta and sauce till creamy and saucy.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Divide the pasta amongst 6 bowls and serve hot with additional grated parmesan cheese.
Serves 4 – 6
Active time 15 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes
Notes
* The high smoke point of the Roasted Garlic oil is perfect for broiling while adding nice flavor to the vegetables. The Oregano Oil and Sicilian Dipper add wonderful herby, Italian flavors and the IGP Balsamic adds tremendous depth of flavor without long cooking times.
For a sauce like this, you really want to use a bronze die cut Spaghetti so that the sauce can stick to the pasta better than it would using commercially made steel die cut pastas.
All highlighted products are available at Oil & Vinegar stores
Categories: Entrée, Gluten Free Option, Dairy Free, Mediterranean Diet, Meal Prep, Pasta Dinner, Vegetarian, Vegan, Plant Based, slow Cooked Flavor, Charred Vegetable Ragù, IGP Balsamic, Sicilian Dipper, Roasted Garlic Oil, Garlic EVOO, Oregano EVOO, Spaghetti, Bronze Die Cut, Comfort Food
