Vegan Pasta al Ragù
Here is a delicious Vegan Pasta al Ragù recipe. Ragù is one of my favorite sauces to accompany pasta. This vegan version of ragù sauce is ultra tasty and rich in flavors at the same time. They will make you forget that this sauce is originally prepared with meat!
What is pasta al ragù?
The so-called ragù sauce is a traditional sauce of the Italian cuisine that is served with pasta. The ragù is a way of cooking meat in a meat or vegetable broth with herbs and spices to spice it up.
The most famous version of this sauce and the ragù alla bolognese, prepared with minced meat, better known as Bolognese sauce, but there are other recipes depending on the region, such as ragù alla napoletana, prepared with whole pieces of meat and more tomatoes than the Bolognese.
My vegan ragù recipe is inspired from the two versions: the lentils reminds of the ragù alla bolognese and the mushrooms and the tomato sauce are inspired by the ragù alla napoletana.
How to season the vegan ragù sauce?
The most difficult part of vegan recipes is to season them well so that they are not boring. For this, my ultimate advice is to not be afraid to add lots of herbs and spices. In this recipe, there are 4 essential ingredients to obtain a sauce rich in flavors:
- Smoked paprika: Smoked paprika is a spice obtained from chillies that are dried and then smoked over an oak fire. It brings a slightly smoky touch to this recipe. For me, a discreet but essential ingredient!
- Garlic: Garlic is one of the ingredients that bring a lot of Mediterranean flavor to this recipe. Use fresh garlic instead of garlic powder.
- Thyme and Rosemary: What makes all the difference in this recipe is that I used fresh thyme and rosemary. Although I often use dried thyme and rosemary, I preferred to use fresh herbs here because they will infuse into the sauce and bring even more flavor than when they are dried.
- Tomatoes: For this recipe, I used whole canned tomatoes. However, there are all types of quality canned tomatoes. I recommend that you look at the list of ingredients and not choose tomatoes that are already seasoned. I also advise you to choose canned tomatoes of relatively sweet varieties such as cherry tomatoes or San Marzano tomatoes.
More pasta recipes :
- Zero Waste Broccoli, Feta and Lemon Pasta
- Pasta with Chanterelle Mushrooms and Cream
- Pasta alla Puttanesca
- Pasta with Tarragon Pesto
Recipe for Vegan Pasta al Ragù
For 4 servings you need the following ingredients.
Ingredients
- 400 g rigatoni pasta or other type of pasta
For the ragù sauce
- 150 g red lentils
- 250 g button mushrooms, cut into strips
- 1 carrot, finely chopped
- 12 cl of red wine
- 400 g canned whole tomatoes
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 bunch of thyme and rosemary, fresh
- A pinch of sugar
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Are you missing an ingredient? Here are some tips on how to substitute certain ingredients.
Preparation
In a saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté the onions and carrot for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic, smoked paprika and tomato paste. Sauté for 2 minutes as well.
Add the mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute. Then pour in the red wine and bring to a boil. Then pour in the vegetable stock and add the thyme and rosemary.
Finally, add the lentils and whole tomatoes. Add salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. Mix well, then cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are cooked through.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed on the package. Drain the pasta and add it to the ragù sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese (vegan or not depending on your taste) and a drizzle of olive oil.
Reserve 10 cl of pasta cooking water taken at the end of cooking. Add some of the pasta water to the al ragú sauce if the sauce is not liquid enough. The water in the pasta allows the sauce to bind better because it is rich in starch.
Pictures
Find the steps of the recipe in pictures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I substitute some of the ingredients ?
As with every blog post, here are some tips for substituting ingredients in this recipe:
- Coral lentils : You can replace the red lentils with other types of lentils. Be careful though, most other types of lentils will require a longer cooking time.
- Smoked Paprika: As explained above, this is one of the spices that I find to be a great addition to this dish. If you don’t have any, you can use sweet paprika and/or a bit of chilli.
- Vegetable broth: You can replace vegetable broth with any other type of broth or even water mixed with miso paste.
Can we prepare this recipe in advance?
Yes, absolutely. You can prepare the ragù sauce in advance and cook the pasta at the last minute.
You just have to warm up the sauce in a saucepan. If it is not liquid enough, add a little pasta cooking water taken at the end of cooking.
Can we freeze this recipe?
Yes, you can freeze the ragù sauce. It is best to freeze it on its own, but it is possible to freeze it already mixed with pasta. The pasta may just lose its al dente quality when reheated. The ragù sauce can be kept for at least 3 months in the freezer.
Can I make this recipe for take-out?
Yes, you can make this ragù sauce pasta recipe ahead of time. Then put the pasta mixed with the sauce in a small container and heat it up in the microwave. Perfect for a lunch to go.
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Vegan Pasta al Ragù
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Ingredients
- 400 g rigatoni pasta or other type of pasta
For the ragù sauce
- 150 g red lentils
- 250 g button mushrooms cut into strips
- 1 carrot finely chopped
- 12 cl of red wine
- 400 g canned whole tomatoes
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 onions chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1 bunch of thyme and rosemary fresh
- A pinch of sugar
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Instructions
- In a saucepan, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté the onions and carrot for 2 minutes. Then add the garlic, smoked paprika and tomato paste. Sauté for 2 minutes as well.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute.
- Then pour in the red wine and bring to a boil. Then pour in the vegetable stock and add the thyme and rosemary.
- Finally, add the lentils and whole tomatoes. Add salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. Mix well, then cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are cooked through.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta as directed on the package. Drain the pasta and add it to the ragù sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese (vegan or not depending on your taste) and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Reserve 10 cl of pasta cooking water taken at the end of cooking. Add some of the pasta water to the al ragú sauce if the sauce is not liquid enough. The water in the pasta allows the sauce to bind better because it is rich in starch.
Sehr leckeres Rezept, very tasty, j‘ai bien aimé l‘idée – et les photos!
Merci beaucoup, Mirjam 🙂