This cozy shiitake mushroom ragu features tender mushrooms in a rich tomato sauce and piled high over garlic butter pappardelle noodles. – a hearty dinner favorite AND vegetarian!
Mushroom fans and/or vegetarians, you’re gonna want to stick around for dinner today!
January is all about the cozy + healthy food for us and this shiitake mushroom ragu is just fitting the bill!
Minus the meat, lighter on the calories, and a ridiculous amount of flavor all tucked into one little bowl. ♥
Jason and I are by no means vegetarians, but we absolutely love experimenting with new dishes frequently that are plant-based and don’t rely on meat.
Classic ragus typically rely on beef as a main ingredient, but we’re changing the game a little bit today and turning meat duty over to the almighty mushrooms!
This Shiitake Mushroom Ragu features…
- A mix of tender, meaty shiitake + button mushrooms
- A luxurious flavorful, herby white wine tomato sauce for simmering the mushrooms
- Classic pappardelle pasta tossed in a garlic butter sauce
Making the Shiitake Mushroom Ragu
(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)
Choosing Your Mushrooms
For this recipe, I recommend a blend of two types of mushrooms. We like mixing half shiitake, half button mushrooms to keep this meal on the budget-friendly side.
You can definitely experiment with different kinds though if you have access to good fresh mushrooms!
Oyster, cremini, or portobello mushrooms are also amazing choices.
You’re going to want to cut your mushrooms on the larger side (2-in chunks) If your mushrooms are smaller in size, feel free to leave them whole.
Making the Ragu
What is Ragu? It comes from Italy and is typically a braised meat sauce served over pasta. It’s a very humble, rustic Italian dinner!
For this mushroom version, we’re going to start by sauteeing the mushrooms, onion, and shredded carrot until just tender.
Make sure you add salt when sauteeing the mushrooms! It helps them release their liquid.
Now, start building the sauce with white wine, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, broth, and plenty of garlic + fresh herbs.
Simmer the ragu around 25 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together and for the mushrooms to get tender.
Garlic Butter Pappardelle
Make the garlic butter by melting several tablespoons butter and sauteeing fresh minced garlic until just fragrant and lightly golden.
Toss hot cooked pappardelle into garlic butter until evenly coated. Season the pasta with s&P + a handful of fresh parsley.
Fill bowls with pappardelle and ladle plenty of ragu sauce over top. Don’t forget shaved Parmesan for topping!
Make-Ahead Option
Once everything is added to the pot (through step 3), transfer to a slow-cooker and cook ragu on high 2-3 hours OR on low 5-6 hours.
I do not recommend making the pappardelle ahead of time, but waiting until just before serving to prepare. It only takes several minutes!
This is just the kind of down-home rustic dinner food that will have you looking forward to dinner ALL day!
It’s so hearty and filling from the big mushroom chunks, you won’t be missing the meat whatsoever, I guarantee it.
Pro tip: LOTS of Parm cheese on top + some crusty French bread nearby. Just do it, trust me.
More vegetarian dinner favorites!
- Greek Orzo Stuffed Sweet Peppers
- Caramelized Onion Shiitake Mushroom Spicy Miso Ramen
- Red Thai Coconut Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry
Shiitake Mushroom Ragu with Garlic Butter Pappardelle
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 small carrot, shredded
- 1 lb shiitake mushrooms, rinsed, dried and cut into 2-in chunks
- 1 lb button mushrooms, rinsed, dried and cut into 2-in chunks
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup dry white wine
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or water)
- 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic Butter Pappardelle
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- 12 oz pappardelle pasta, cooked according to package instructions and kept warm
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
Shiitake Mushroom Ragu
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until shimmery. Add onion, carrot, mushrooms, and salt to pan and saute 3-4 minutes until mushrooms have released their water and water has evaporated. Add garlic and saute 1 additional minute until fragrant.
- Reduce heat to medium and add wine to pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. Cook until wine begins to evaporate, about 2 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, rosemary, and red pepper flakes to ragu. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring ragu to a simmer then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook 25 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
Garlic Butter Pappardelle
- In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and saute 1-2 minutes until very lightly browned and fragrant. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and cooked pappardelle tossing until evenly coated. Season pasta with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve ragu, portion pappardelle into serving bowls and top with mushroom ragu. Top with Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Marilyn Lafave says
It was delicious and certainly not a difficult recipe.
Sarah says
Glad to hear it, Marilyn! Enjoy. 🙂
Gav the tradie says
Gave this one a crack for dinner last night and the wife and kids absolutely loved it. Added a bit of smoked paprika because I’m fancy like that. Pro tip, an after dinner treat of shard really works well and compliments this dish
Sarah says
Love the sound of smoked paprika in this ragu! Thanks for sharing your suggestions, Gav! 🙂
Tyson says
Delicious!
I added spinach.
Sarah says
Spinach sounds like a great addition! Thanks for reporting back, Tyson! 🙂
T Broxson says
Excellent dish. Used fresh tomatoes from the garden. Will make again!!
Sarah says
Love that you were able to use garden tomatoes in this ragu! 🙂
Katy says
This was delicious! I used two cans of tomatoes as I wanted to use the whole 500g package of pasta, and it turned out quite saucy. I also used a squirt of harissa paste instead of red pepper flakes, but otherwise followed the recipe to very yummy results.
Sarah says
Harissa sounds like a fantastic addition! Happy to hear this ragu was a success, Katy! 🙂