Creamy polenta is topped with a wild mushroom that’s ragú cooked up in an herbed red wine tomato sauce to make this irresistible vegan bowl of coziness! The perfect meal for a chilly fall evening.
My mom’s side of the family is Italian. I went vegetarian at thirteen. This could be really good or really bad. On a good day growing up, there were personal lasagnas loaded with veggies, or even my very own batch of eggplant meatballs. On a bad day, it meant the meatballs (and not the eggplant kind) were cooked in the sauce, and me dining on plain noodles.
I recently was given a review copy of Fresh Italian Cooking for the New Generation by Alexandra Caspero Lenz of the blog Delish Knowledge. Upon cracking it open, my first thought was this: if only I could travel back in time and hand my thirteen year old self a copy of this, a lot of dinnertime woes could’ve been avoided.
Okay, so I’ve actually been sitting on this book, and this particular recipe from the book, for a month or so, not because I wasn’t excited to share it, but because the mushroom ragú is serious comfort food, and I wasn’t sure you guys would be up for that in the middle of August. While there are plenty of recipes that are totally doable for summertime dinners (check out Balsamic and Basil Pasta Salad, Rainbow Peppers with Capellini, or Mediterranean Zucchini Linguine if we hit a few more hot days), I couldn’t resist the idea of juicy wild mushroom sauce over a cozy bed of polenta, regardless of the weather. My instinct was right, because this dish was killer.
Everything in the book sounds good to me though. Italian food has so much potential when it comes to plant-based eating, and Alex makes the most of that potential, swapping out meat for healthy ingredients that totally make sense and are way delicious (like mushrooms!). The book has 100 recipes, all vegetarian, and all much healthier than anything I ate growing up (even after going veg). Of those 100 recipes, over 70 are vegan or include vegan modifications, which are generally as simple as using vegan Parmesan cheese or cashew cream, both of which have recipes conveniently provided towards the back of the book.
Wild Mushroom Ragú with Creamy Polenta
Ingredients
Wild Mushroom Ragú
- 1/3 cup 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups 280 g mixed wild mushrooms, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup 120 ml tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup 60 ml red wine
- 1/2 cup 120 ml vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp 15 g non-dairy butter
- 1/8 cup 15 g fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Creamy Polenta
- 1 cup 240 ml vegetable broth
- 3 cups 709 ml soy milk
- 1 cup 170 g cornmeal
- 3 tbsp 40 g non-dairy butter
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes until reduced and caramelized, stirring only a few times. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic, shallot, rosemary and oregano, and cook for 5 more minutes. Add tomato sauce and red wine, stir and cook an additional 5 minutes more while you prepare the polenta.
- In a separate saucepan, heat the broth and milk over medium heat. When bubbles start to surface, gently whisk in cornmeal and stir together. Reduce heat to low and let cook until thick, stirring often, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in non-dairy butter and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
- While the polenta is simmering, finish the ragú. Add the vegetable broth to the mushroom sauce, reduce heat to low and simmer until polenta is done cooking. Remove the ragú from heat and whisk in 1 tablespoon (15 g) butter. Garnish with parsley.
Judi Hershel says
September 12, 2016 at 4:55 PMPlanning on making this tomorrow, and love nutritional info.
Alissa Saenz says
September 12, 2016 at 5:14 PMHi Judi! This is a great calculator to try for the nutrition info. I don’t usually calculate it myself because you never know what brand someone is going to use, serving size, etc. I hope you enjoy the ragu – my husband and I LOVED it. :)
Kirsten@humbledish says
September 20, 2016 at 7:45 PMIt’s 4:43 on the west coast, so I’m pretty much wanting to shrink myself down, curl up in that bowl, and intimately spoon that mushroom ragu. Willl make!
Alissa Saenz says
September 22, 2016 at 9:44 PMIt was so good! I hope you give it a try. :) Thanks Kristen!
Jennifer Arent says
September 22, 2016 at 12:33 PMHoly Smack! This looks so beyond awesome! Can’t wait to buy groceries on Saturday! Super excited! Thanks so much for sharing and thanks for all your hard work on your blog – I appreciate it!
Alissa Saenz says
September 22, 2016 at 9:45 PMThanks Jennifer! We LOVED this one in my house. I hope you do too!!
Kelly says
September 25, 2016 at 9:29 PMi made this today! I was worried the mushroom taste would be too overpowering but it wasn’t! and mine looks exactly like the picture which doesn’t happen very often! this recipe is a keeper!
Alissa Saenz says
September 28, 2016 at 9:58 AMYay! Glad you liked it!
Amy Morris says
September 25, 2016 at 9:47 PMJust made this and it’s delicious! I didn’t have tomato sauce and ended up subbing 1 1/2 Tbs tomato paste and extra broth. Also added a splash of marsala wine. This will become a regular, I can tell!!
Alissa Saenz says
September 28, 2016 at 9:59 AMAwesome! Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for sharing your results with tomato paste – I always have cans of that around, but not sauce, so it may come in handy for me. :)
Tina says
November 30, 2016 at 4:09 PMThis looks delicious! Is there another non-dairy alternative I can sub for vegan butter?
Alissa Saenz says
December 4, 2016 at 10:27 AMI think you could just leave it out. It adds some buttery flavor, but isn’t crucial for the recipe to turn out, and I’m sure it would still be delicious without it. :)
Shalini says
January 5, 2017 at 1:09 AMIs there a substitute for the red wine?
Liz Babcock says
January 13, 2019 at 5:17 PMI know that i have used grape jiuce in minestrone instead of the read wine which i didn’t have and it was good…or a little lemon juice, some extra broth, and a pinch or two of sugar?
Rome says
January 9, 2017 at 12:44 PMMade this last night and it was awesome. The perfect comfort food for a damp winter evening. Thanks!
Alissa Saenz says
January 10, 2017 at 9:12 AMThis is definitely a good one for a cold and damp night! Glad you enjoyed it!!
David says
August 12, 2017 at 5:50 PMIs it possible to leave out or drastically reduce the 1/3 cup of olive oil without ruining the end result? Looks awesome though and will try it for tonight’s dinner.
Alissa Saenz says
August 13, 2017 at 9:29 PMI think you could cut it back a bit. Mushrooms soak up oil like crazy, so they might not come out as tender, but I think they’d still be delicious. :)
Barbara says
August 12, 2017 at 8:13 PMThe BEST meal I have eaten in a while. I had to sub a lot of ingredients such as wild mushroom mix for white mushrooms, an onion for the shallot, but this turned out so fantastic This one will go in my book of repeats and will become a family favorite! Delicious, absolutely delicious.
Alissa Saenz says
August 13, 2017 at 9:31 PMYay!! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Barbara Naylor says
August 13, 2017 at 6:46 PMMy mom is allergic to mushrooms, could she sub eggplant for mushrooms? Or do you have a suggestion?
Alissa Saenz says
August 13, 2017 at 9:34 PMI think if anything eggplant would work well. I’d love to hear about it if you try. :)
Jen says
August 16, 2017 at 8:01 PMI made this tonight. I followed exact recipe. Polenta was too sweet. I used unsweetened soy milk. The polenta also got runnier not thicker. Mushroom ragu part was deelish!
Alissa Saenz says
August 20, 2017 at 11:28 AMThat’s so weird! Was the vegetable broth you used particularly sweet! I actually bought a carton of a new-to-me brand the other day and found it way too sweet. That’s the only thing I can think of that might have caused that. Glad you enjoyed the mushrooms though – you could alwasy serve them over pasta. :)
Den Brinson-Hill says
August 22, 2017 at 7:41 AMHello there. Just a quick question. The tomato sauce in the recipe- do you mean tomato ketchup or tomato passata? Thank you
Alissa Saenz says
August 22, 2017 at 9:43 AMIt’s actually neither. A product like this is what you’re looking for: https://www.amazon.com/Hunts-Sauce-Tomatoes-15-oz/dp/B000Q3PPD8 It’s a bit smoother and thicker than passata. If it’s not available in your area I think you could get away with subbing passata. :)
Bristi says
October 17, 2017 at 6:36 PMI just had polenta for the first time at a friends house and HAD to make it- I cannot wait to try this recipe! It has literally all things I love in it! Thank you!
Alissa Saenz says
October 18, 2017 at 9:12 PMIsn’t it awesome?! I hope you enjoy this one!!
Megan says
October 17, 2017 at 11:31 PMThis is so delicious! I actually made it as a savory breakfast and I’ve been loving it.
Alissa Saenz says
October 18, 2017 at 9:13 PMOhhh…I like the way you think! Glad you enjoyed it!
Nicole, VT says
December 27, 2017 at 6:01 PMThis was a fabulous recipe! The only change I made was to sauté the veggies in veggie broth rather than olive oil and I added kale at the end to beef up my greens intake. Otherwise this is a 10!
Alissa Saenz says
December 29, 2017 at 10:01 PMI’m so glad you enjoyed it! And some kale sounds like a delicious addition! Thanks Nicole!
KD says
January 14, 2018 at 7:38 PMGreat recipe. Just prepared it and it has excellent flavor. Thank you!
Alissa Saenz says
January 14, 2018 at 9:43 PMAwesome!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Lynnette says
January 29, 2018 at 6:07 PMWill be making it for the second time tomorrow. Absolutely delicious! We just found that there wasn’t enough of the mushroom mixture so will be doubling that. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Alissa Saenz says
February 1, 2018 at 3:19 PMI’m so glad you’re enjoying it!! Thanks Lynette!
Renee says
March 8, 2018 at 12:16 AMThis was a fabulous meal. I will be doubling the mushroom mixture next time. I try to cook without oil and do so only a couple of times a month. Your recipe makes it into me “treat day” folder, it’s so awesomely delicious. I already want it again.
Alissa Saenz says
March 8, 2018 at 8:28 PMI’m glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Renee!
Rebecca says
April 10, 2018 at 4:00 AMThis dish is a great tasting, easy to make delight. I’ve made this dish 3 times already and double the ingredient size for leftovers the next night.
Highly recommend this dish to all!
polly says
April 10, 2018 at 3:29 PMhi !
is there anything you would sub for the mushrooms please ? thankyou !
Alissa Saenz says
April 12, 2018 at 8:47 PMEggplant might work, but I can’t say for sure without having tried it myself. Please let me know if you do!
Sasha says
August 7, 2018 at 2:56 AMThis looks so delicious that I think even my kids will like it. Thanks for sharing!
Alissa Saenz says
August 12, 2018 at 11:03 AMThanks Sasha!! I hope you and your kids enjoy it!
Jo Etta Cooper says
August 27, 2018 at 11:19 AMIs there a substitute for the red wine in this recipe?
Alissa Saenz says
September 3, 2018 at 5:02 PMYou can just leave it out if it doesn’t work with your diet. :)
Viki says
October 2, 2018 at 6:02 PMIt sounds so good, but how big is a serving? Those nutritional ratings for fat, carbs and sodium sound really high. Help me understand how this is healthy. Thanks in advsnce.
Alissa Saenz says
October 7, 2018 at 4:36 PMIt’s been a while since I made this, but I think it was about a cup of polenta with a half cup or so of ragu. Not huge, but very filling!
Bette says
January 21, 2019 at 3:51 PMIs there a way to cook mushrooms for they don’t get slimy?
Alissa Saenz says
January 27, 2019 at 3:32 PMUsually mushrooms get slimy because they’re waterlogged. So clean them by wiping them with a damp cloth – don’t put them under running water or submerge them.
Janet says
March 12, 2019 at 6:55 PMThis recipe is absolutely delicious!
I’ve made it several times and it’s a hit each time!!!
Alissa Saenz says
March 17, 2019 at 5:19 PMI’m so glad you like it!
Linda Anderson says
May 5, 2019 at 6:16 PMThis was delicious! Wish my husband liked polenta as much as I do but he would eat this over rice in a skinny minute!
Alissa Saenz says
May 12, 2019 at 4:25 PMI’m glad you like it! Rice is a great alternative! Pasta is another one that I think would be excellent. Thanks Linda!!