Mushroom and Walnut Bolognese

🥘 Ingredients

• olive oil 2 Tbsp
• button or cremini mushrooms 1 lb
• onion 1 medium
• carrot 1
• celery 1 rib
• garlic 4 cloves
• red pepper flakes ½ tsp
• oregano 1 tsp
• thyme ½ tsp
• bay leaves 2
• walnuts ½ cup
• salt 1 tsp
• red wine ½ cup
• crushed or pureed tomatoes 1 14-oz can
• liquid aminos or fish sauce 1 tsp
• unsweetened soy milk ½ cup
• durum wheat spaghetti pasta 1 box
• nutritional yeast or pecorino 1 Tbsp
• basil leaves ½ cups

1. 1

   In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the button or cremini mushrooms and stir well; saute until they give up their liquid and begin to brown a bit, about 10 minutes . Add the diced onion , peeled and diced carrot , diced celery , chopped garlic , red pepper flakes , oregano , thyme , bay leaves , finely chopped walnuts , and salt , and stir well to combine. Continue sauteing until the vegetables soften and begin to color, another 10 minutes or so.
2. 2

   Add the red wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Then add the crushed or pureed tomatoes , liquid aminos or fish sauce , and unsweetened soy milk , and stir well. Lower the heat to a bare simmer and let the sauce cook, stirring occasionally to be sure it isn't sticking, for an hour. If the sauce starts to stick, add 1/4 cup of water and stir well. Let it continue simmering for a least another 40 minutes or up to 4 hours for deeper flavors. Remove the bay leaves.
3. 3

   Add the durum wheat spaghetti pasta to the pot and stir well. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of oil and the nutritional yeast or pecorino , stir again, and add a ladle of pasta water if the sauce needs to be thinned out.
4. 4

   Serve immediately, topping each mound of pasta with a little extra sauce from the pot, the torn basil leaves , and a sprinkling of nutritional yeast or pecorino if desired.