Pasta Bolognese
Get ready to indulge in the ultimate Pasta Bolognese recipe that combines the best of both worlds- my Grandmother's traditional Italian gravy recipe with a modern vegan optional twist. Our homemade pasta dough is made from scratch and is easier to tackle than you think. With every bite, you'll feel like you're dining in Italy or enjoying a meal at a top-tier restaurant, making you never want store-bought again. This hearty, flavorful dish brings authentic Italian flavors to your kitchen and is so good, we even served it at our wedding.
Ingredients
For the pasta dough
4 eggs room temperature
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil (if needed)
Ingredients
For the Gravy
28oz of San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
5 oz oyster mushrooms, chopped
1lb ground beef or meat alternative
3 cloves of garlic
1 small yellow onion, chopped
​2 Tbsp fresh or dried Italian seasoning (equal parts thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, basil, and parsley)
1 Tbsp salt and papper + more to taste
4 Tbsp olive oil
D i r e c t i o n s
pasta dough
1. Measure out flour into a large bowl.
2. Add salt to flour, then whisk together until evenly incorporated.
3. Pour flour and salt mixture onto workspace and form into the shape of a doughnut. Be sure to create a deep well (negative space) in the center that is wide enough to hold your eggs, while ensuring the "walls" are nice and tall.
4. Crack one egg and empty into your well. Using a fork, gently whisk until the yolk and whites have blended.
5. Crack the next egg, emptying it into your well, and whisk until combined with the first. Be careful not to disturb the walls of your well. You can use your other hand to keep their form as you do so.
6. Use your fork as a rake to pull in small amounts of flour from the base up, and gently whisk it into your eggs as you do. Repeat this process, moving around in a circle to carve out a wider, well as you pull in more flour, evenly. Make sure to keep the walls of your well in tac by using your other had as reenforcement, if necessary.
7. When your egg line has receeded about 1/4" down from the top of your well and/or once your egg mixture becomes thick and bouncy, add your third egg. Continue to gently whisk and pull in small amount of flour from your walls, as you did in step 6. Repeat this process with your final egg.
8. While continuing to whisk with your fork, gradually work in small amounts of flour as you did in steps 6 & 7, until your egg mixture look thick and jiggly in texture. Then, using your han or a bench scraper, being working in the rest of your flour by folding and kneading until it comes together in a ball.
9. When most of your flour is incorporated and your dough ball is malleable, create another well into the center and, if necessary, add the olive oil. Work in the oil by continuing to knead until any dry areas have been eliminated and your dough ball has a nice elasticity to it. It is possible you will not need olive oil depending on your climate and whether or not your dough ball is too dry without it. Wrap with cellophane and let rest at room temperature for roughly 30 minutes.
10. Lightly flour your workspace and divide rested dough ball into four even parts using a bench scraper. Work with one part at a time and cover the rest with a damp towel to keep them from dying out. Using your hands and fingers, begin by flattening dough into a disc until it is about 1/4" thick on all sides. You can also use a French rolling pin if that's easier.
11. Run through a pass press at the "0" setting twice, then make your way up each setting until you hit number "4. Lightly dust with flour and cut pasta in half using a pizza knife, so it's easier to manage, then continue to run through remaining settings until thickness is reached for desired pasta cut.
12. Lightly dust with flour again, just before running through the pasta cutter to prevent any sticking, then hang to dry. Repeat steps 11-12 with remaning dough.
13. To cook pasta immediately, bring salted water to a boil and cook for approx. 3 min. Pasta will float when ready. Strain and serve with our bolognese sauce. To serve later, allow pasta to dry out for 1-2 days. Add dried pasta to boiler water and cook 3-5 minutes. Strain and serve with our bolognese sauce.
​
Fresh cut pasta can be stored for later use, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure to coat it thoroughly with flour and put in an airtight container to prevent it from sticking together. After 3 days you'll start to see it start to oxidize and turn gray. We've found that it cooks off and we still eat it, but it's up to you!
​
Bolognese
1. Begin my prepping and measuring out all ingredients and placing them into bowls.
2. Open the canned tomatoes and empty them into a blender. Pulse until tomatoes are no longer whole - approx. 4 pulses. Set the cans aside.
3. Transfer pulsed tomatoes to a bowl. Rinse the sides of the blender under low running water to create a tomato water, then add to one of the reserved cans. Rinse the remaining can just as you did the blender to create an extra reserve as well. Set both cans aside for later.
4. Add 4 Tbsp of olive oil to a dutch oven or large stock pot, over medium heat.
5. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, approx. 3-5 minutes.
6. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
7. Add the ground beef or meat alternative, breaking it apart with your fingers as you add it to the pot. Stir to incorporate the garlic and onions. Once the ground meat begins to brown, use a square spatula to move the meat around and break it into smaller pieces.
8. Once the majority of the meat has browned, add the oyster mushrooms and stir to combine. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, occasionally using the square wooden spatula to chop the meat into even smaller pieces.
9. Add the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to the stock pot and stir until evenly mixed. Allow to cook for another 1-2 minutes.
10. Add the pulsed tomatoes to the stock pot and stir, using your wooden spatula to pull the meat and mushroom mixture up from the bottom, working it into the tomatoes so everything is coated and evenly integrated.
11. Add approx 1/2 cup of your tomato water reserve to thin out the sauce and allow for reduction.
12. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally and adding more of your tomato water reserve as the sauce reduces.
13. Serve immediately and top with fresh parsley or basil and parmesan or, for a vegan option, finely chopped macadamia nuts.
14. If storing for later use, transfer to a sealed glass container and allow to cool before covering. Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer proof container.
​