This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks your pasta noodles much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but the sauce is vegetarian…vegan, actually! The key to success is cooking the vegetables hot and fast, so they char but don’t fully cook and soften, which they will do once you’re simmering the whole sauce. The other important point is to chop the vegetables, after charring, finely enough that they resemble the ground meat in a meat sauce yet not so finely that they become a puree. I use a food processor, but you might have more control with a big ol’ chef’s knife and a cutting board.
Inspired by a recipe from Food & Wine magazine, my version includes dried porcini (though it’s optional), which enhances the smoky-meaty flavors of the charred vegetables, and I crisp up a bunch of kale leaves and add them to the mix, which brings a pleasant, slightly bitter note to the otherwise sweet vegetables.
Pappardelle rigate is a great noodle for this ragù, with its wide, slightly ridged surface. I also like bucatini for slurpability and rigatoni for when you want a short noodle, perhaps in a baked dish.
Recipe information
Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
Yield
12 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
If you’re using ½ oz. (15 g) dried porcini mushrooms, put them in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and soak until softened, 20 minutes–1 hour. Gently wring out the softened mushrooms and chop finely. Set aside.
Step 2
Heat the oven to 500°F (260°C) or as hot as you can get it without setting off your smoke alarm.
Step 3
Arrange 6 oz. (170 g) carrots (about 2 medium), cut into 2" (5-cm) chunks, 6 oz. (170 g) celery (about 2 large stalks), peeled if fibrous and cut into 2" (5-cm) chunks, 6 oz. (170 g) fennel (1 small bulb), trimmed, cored, and cut into 1" (2.5-cm) wedges, 1 large onion (about 10 oz./280 g), cut into thick slices, and 12 oz. (340 g) crimini mushrooms (or a mix of other mushrooms), stems removed, on two sheet pans in a single layer. Arrange 8 oz. (225 g) Tuscan kale (1 large bunch), thick stems cut or ripped out, on a separate sheet pan. Drizzle all the vegetables with extra-virgin olive oil and flip them all around so they’re lightly and evenly coated with oil. Cook the vegetables in the hot oven until they are charred in spots and around the edges, 10–15 minutes for the kale, 20–35 minutes for the other vegetables. You’re cooking the kale separately to avoid crowding the oven and creating too much moisture, which would inhibit the charring. Let the vegetables cool.
Step 4
Working in batches, pulse the vegetables in a food processor (or chop with a chef’s knife) until they are in small bits. You want the texture to be varied, but with pieces no smaller than ¼" (6 mm) and no larger than about ⅓" (8 mm).
Step 5
Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven or large high-sided sauté pan over medium heat. Add 4 or 5 garlic cloves, smashed, and gently cook, breaking it up with your spatula, until it’s soft and fragrant and starting to toast but not browned, 4–5 minutes.
Step 6
Add ¼ cup (60 g) tomato paste, spreading it into a thin layer on the surface of the pan, and cook until it’s darkened and slightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
Step 7
Add the chopped vegetables, chopped porcini (if using), 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, 1 Tbsp. kosher salt (preferably Diamond Crystal), and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high, add 1 cup (240 ml) dry red wine, and simmer until it has reduced by half, 3–4 minutes (it might be hard to see the wine, but use your best judgment).
Step 8
Add one 28-oz. (794 g) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, with their juices, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring frequently, until the ragu is nicely thick and concentrated in flavor, about 45 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt or pepper as needed.
Step 9
Let the ragù cool completely, then divide it into 1-cup (250 g) portions (enough to sauce 8 oz./225 g dried noodles, or two servings). Use now (the ragù will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator) or freeze for up to 4 months.
Recipe notes
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