Meatless “Meat” Sauce with Chickpeas and Mushrooms
By Lan LamPublished on April 3, 2017
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 8 to 12 (Makes 6 cups, enough for 2 lbs pasta)
Ingredients
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon table salt 1 onion, chopped5 garlic cloves, minced1 ¼ teaspoons dried oregano ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ cup tomato paste 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 2 cups vegetable broth 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Before You Begin
Make sure to rinse the chickpeas after pulsing them in the food processor or the sauce will be too thick.
Instructions
- Pulse mushrooms in two batches in food processor until chopped into 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces, 7 to 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (Do not clean workbowl.)
- Heat 5 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and fond has formed on bottom of pot, about 8 minutes.
- While mushrooms cook, pulse onion in food processor until finely chopped, 7 to 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (Do not clean workbowl.) Transfer onion to pot with mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes in bowl.
- Add tomato paste to pot and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is rust-colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and push vegetables to sides of pot. Add garlic mixture to center and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and broth; bring to simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While sauce simmers, pulse chickpeas in food processor until chopped into 1/4-inch pieces, 7 to 10 pulses. Transfer chickpeas to fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear; drain well. Add chickpeas to pot and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 8 to 12 (Makes 6 cups, enough for 2 lbs pasta)Ingredients
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Ingredients
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Ingredients
10 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 ¼ teaspoons dried oregano
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Why This Recipe Works
To create a vegetarian version of a savory, unctuous tomato-meat sauce, we started with cremini mushrooms and tomato paste—both rich sources of savory flavor. Extra-virgin olive oil did double duty, enriching the sauce and helping toast the classic Italian aromatics: garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper flakes. We bulked up the sauce with chopped chickpeas that had been rinsed of their excess starch. To thin the sauce without watering down its flavor, we added vegetable broth.
Before You Begin
Make sure to rinse the chickpeas after pulsing them in the food processor or the sauce will be too thick.
Instructions
- Pulse mushrooms in two batches in food processor until chopped into 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces, 7 to 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (Do not clean workbowl.)
- Heat 5 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are browned and fond has formed on bottom of pot, about 8 minutes.
- While mushrooms cook, pulse onion in food processor until finely chopped, 7 to 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. (Do not clean workbowl.) Transfer onion to pot with mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes in bowl.
- Add tomato paste to pot and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is rust-colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and push vegetables to sides of pot. Add garlic mixture to center and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and broth; bring to simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer sauce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While sauce simmers, pulse chickpeas in food processor until chopped into 1/4-inch pieces, 7 to 10 pulses. Transfer chickpeas to fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear; drain well. Add chickpeas to pot and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
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