Mushroom & Walnut Ragu

Name: Mushroom & Walnut Ragu
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 20g dried porcini mushrooms; 100g walnuts; 1 onion, finely diced; 2 garlic cloves, finely diced; 2 celery stalks, finely diced; olive oil; 400g chestnut or button mushrooms, thinly sliced; 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced; 1 tsp dried thyme; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp dried rosemary; 400g tinned chopped tomatoes; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 2 tbsp tamari, or soy sauce; 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast; 400g spaghetti; handful of chopped parsley, to serve

6 steps

Prep:30minCook:45min

I made this for some girlfriends who have been taste-testing our recipes since day one, and they said it was their favourite dish ever! It's hearty, warming, really rich and just a dream dinner. The leftovers work brilliantly too; I'll often make a double portion and have the second serving with jacket potatoes later in the week or take it to work with some quinoa or salad for an on-the-go option.

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 14:00:20 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories652.5 kcal (33%)

Total Fat22.9 g (33%)

Carbs91.4 g (35%)

Sugars6.3 g (7%)

Protein23.2 g (46%)

Sodium665.2 mg (33%)

Fiber8.4 g (30%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

20gdried porcini mushrooms

100gwalnuts

400gchestnut mushrooms

or button, thinly sliced

1red pepper

deseeded and diced

1 tspdried thyme

1 tspdried oregano

1 tspdried rosemary

400gtinned chopped tomatoes

1 Tbsptomato purée

2 Tbsptamari

or soy sauce

1 Tbspnutritional yeast

400gspaghetti

parsley

chopped, to serve

Instructions

Step 1

Start by soaking the dried mushrooms. Put them into a bowl with the boiling water and leave for 20 minutes. Once soaked, drain well (but keep the liquid), then cut the mushrooms into small pieces.

dried porcini mushrooms20g

Step 2

While the mushrooms are soaking, chop the walnuts into tiny pieces - they need to look like large breadcrumbs. Place them in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat and toast for about 5 minutes, until golden, stirring every now and again. Once toasted, remove from the heat and spoon into a bowl. Place the frying pan back on the heat.

Frying Pan

walnuts100g

Step 3

Add the onion, garlic and celery to the frying pan, along with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until soft.

olive oil

onion1

garlic cloves2

celery stalks2

Step 4

Add the fresh mushrooms and red pepper, with the thyme, oregano and rosemary, and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft.

dried thyme1 tsp

dried rosemary1 tsp

dried oregano1 tsp

red pepper1

chestnut mushrooms400g

Step 5

Stir in the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, tamari and dried mushrooms with their water. Leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes - you want the ragu to be thick and have lost the excess liquid. Stir in the walnuts and nutritional yeast and leave them to cook in the sauce for a final 5 minutes.

tomato purée1 Tbsp

tinned chopped tomatoes400g

walnuts100g

tamari2 Tbsp

nutritional yeast1 Tbsp

Step 6

While the ragu is simmering, cook your pasta in a pan of boiling water, following the instructions on the packet. Drain well then stir into the ragu once both are ready. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.