Satisfy your cravings for Italian comfort food with this vegetarian-friendly dish!
While ragu sauce is typically meat-based, this recipe was created to be 100% vegetarian-friendly! But don’t worry, it tastes just as delicious as a meat-based ragu. And better yet? This easy vegetable ragu recipe also takes less than an hour to prepare and can serve up to 5 people. A delicious and nutritious meal that the entire family can enjoy—what more could you ask for?
Get Your Veggies Ready Ahead of Time
Preparing all of your ingredients ahead of time will make the cooking process for this easy vegetable ragu go as smoothly as possible. You can start the process by prepping your veggies. Finely chop your celery and carrot, and dice up your cremini mushrooms and bell pepper. Keep the cutting board out so that you can mince your garlic and chop up some fresh sage. Finally, make sure your tomatoes are clean and ready for later!
Cooking Your Vegetable Ragu
For the cooking process, you are going to want a heavy pot that you will heat over a medium-high flame. Heat the butter and olive oil first and then add your celery, carrots, and garlic cloves. Saute these veggies for about three minutes.
Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, mushrooms, and tomato paste to the pot and let that cook for a couple minutes. Afterwards, add your Italian seasoning blend and your fresh sage and sauté the mixture for a couple more minutes.
Grab your vegetable stock and pour it into the pot. If you do not have vegetable stock, you can use water, but the stock will add some flavor! Bring the ingredients in the pot to a boil and then bring it down to low heat, letting it simmer for about 30 minutes so the liquid can be absorbed. As your vegetable ragu simmers in the pot, you can cook your whole wheat pasta following the packet instructions. Make sure you save about half a cup of pasta water.
Once the whole wheat pasta and vegetable ragu are done, add the pasta into the pot with the ragu, along with half a cup of saved pasta water. To make sure it’s all mixed together, toss your pasta around to coat it with the ragu. Finally, add some salt and pepper to season it and some chili flakes if you like it spicier!
Want to Serve this Easy Vegetable Ragu as a Side Dish?
While this Italian-inspired pasta is a great and comforting meal all on it’s own, you can choose to serve it as a side dish if you wish! Here are some main course options that we’d recommend trying out:
Whether you enjoy this easy vegetable ragu as a main course, or serve it as part of a Sunday evening Italian feast, be sure to let us know what you think of it in the comment section! Enjoy!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 celery stalk finely chopped
- 1 carrot large, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3 cups cremini mushrooms diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning blend
- 2 teaspoons fresh sage chopped
- 1¾ cups vegetable stock
- 8 ounces whole wheat pasta
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- salt and pepper to taste
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Heat the olive oil and butter in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium/high heat. Add the celery, carrot and garlic cloves and sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
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Add the cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, mushrooms, and tomato paste to the pot. Sauté for 2 more minutes. Then add the Italian seasoning blend, and fresh sage. Sauté for 2 more minutes.
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Pour the vegetable stock into the pot and stir. Then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until most of the liquid has absorbed.
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When the ragu is almost done cooking, cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package. Make sure to save 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
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Once the pasta and the ragu are done cooking, add the pasta into the pot with the ragu, followed by the pasta water. Toss to coat. The pasta will absorb the sauce as it sits. Season with salt and pepper.
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 8
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This delicious easy vegetable ragu is a crowd-pleaser that both vegetarians and meat-lovers will enjoy. Serve it as a side dish alongside one of our favorite healthy Italian recipes, or make a big batch to serve as the main course!
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