Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragu
This Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragu gets its name because it is absolutely loaded with veggies. It’s kind of like a bolognese sauce amped up in the vegetables department. It is made with ground meat, aromatics of garlic and onions, loads of mushrooms, carrots, zucchini and celery, oregano and bay leaves, etc. all simmered together into a hearty and deeply flavourful sauce.
Ragu is an Italian term describing a sauce made with ground meat and vegetables typically served on pasta. This is my take on a pretty ubiquitous dish. My version is uncomplicated yet deliberate in ingredients to maximize taste and nutrition. It is beloved in my family. It is tried, test and true!
The sauce is perfect to eat the day you make it. A just reward — after smelling the aromas while it simmers on the stove! Conveniently, it is also optimal for freezing and pulling out for a quick and hearty meal when you don't want to cook (but still want to eat well).
That’s why this recipe is intentionally scaled big to provide lots of extra sauce. Trust me, your future self will thank you! You can even take a portion to spin into a different dish, like lasagna. I often make this Lasagna with Cashew Bechemel with the extra meat sauce. For Paleo-friendly serving suggestions, you can also serve this Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragu over zoodles (massive yum!), spaghetti squash or halved roasted sweet potatoes.
Eat well and be well,
Sonia
What you’ll need:
Ground meat (2 lbs)- I usually use ground chicken but sometimes I switch it up with other ground meats (or combination thereof) including turkey, pork, beef or sausage pulled out of its casing
Cremini mushrooms (1 lb) - there is a full pound of mushrooms to add heartiness and earthiness to the sauce. You can sub white button mushrooms or switch out some of it for portobello mushrooms
Carrots, celery and white onion - these form the classic “mirepoix” that serves as a flavour base for the sauce. Additionally, the carrots add natural sweetness to balance tartness of the tomato sauce
Zucchini - adds texture and a mild, sweet taste
Garlic - do I even need to say why
Tomato paste - make sure to cook tomato paste at least 2-3 minutes until colour deepens to bring out it’s full umami
Dried oregano and bay leaves - herbs that add aroma
Dry red wine - adds richness and depth of flavour; can be omitted and substituted with water or broth
Jarred tomato sauce - use a good quality one as it a big component of the sauce; I use Rao’s marinara sauce because it tastes great and isn’t overly tart
Milk - balances acidy of tomato sauce and adds a touch of richness; similar to the use of milk in many bolognese sauce recipes; I usually use an unsweetened almond or oat milk because that’s what I typically have, otherwise 2% cow’s milk works well
Honey or sugar - to balance tartness of tomato sauce
Dried chili pepper flakes - optional / to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
Tips and FAQs - Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragu
‘Veggie loaded’ - I’m not kidding about that. While a classic ragu is traditionally more meat than veg, this recipe is about half meat/half veggies. Actually when I say “veggies”, I mean mushrooms and vegetables (carrots, onions, celery and zucchini) which all contribute to the symphony of textures and flavours, not to mention tons of nutrition and fibre
Tomato sauce - using a high quality, store-bought marinara sauce effortlessly adds flavour. I look for glass-jarred sauces with no additives or preservatives. Rao's 'marinara' and 'tomato basil' sauces are my go-to (not sponsored)
Acidity — unless you're using strained tomatoes from the peak of summer, most tomato-based sauces are naturally tart. Three ingredients in the recipe helps to balance that:
carrots to add natural sweetness
a touch of honey (or raw cane sugar if you prefer) and
a small amount of milk added at the end which you can’t taste in the final sauce but goes a long way to mellow out the acidity and round out the flavours
Mushrooms
white button mushrooms will absolutely do the job but I prefer cremini mushrooms which have a more robust flavour. You can also mix in some portobello, fresh shiitake or dried porcini mushrooms to enhance the mix if you are fancy like that
I like browning mushrooms separately. Do that in batches to avoid crowding and avoid salting until the end or they will release water right away and steam in their own juices rather than brown, and there will be sadness (meaning I would be sad for you). Salt only towards the end after they have taken on colour
There are 6 cups of chopped mushroom(1 pound) in there. Both my daughters despise mushrooms and yet they love this sauce. FYI to other parents 😉
The food processor will save you tons of time! — There’s a lot of chopping. I used to do it all by hand with a knife but switched to using my food processor fitted with the S-blade to do all the heavy-lifting. My husband actually prefers the texture of the sauce (a little less chunky) when I use the food processor to chop the carrots, onions, zucchini and mushrooms. Rough chop the carrots, onions and zucchini into 2” pieces before switching to the food processor to finish the job, and do them in batches taking care not to overload the food processor to get a more uniform outcome
This recipe makes a lot of sauce (about 4.5 Quarts or 18 cups)! I scaled it for 3 meals feeding a family of 4 (or 12 servings) so I can freeze two meals. I make this recipe once a month and don't see a point in making a smaller batch given the economies of scale and how versatile it is. You can serve it on pasta, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, roasted sweet potatoes, or turn it into lasagna, etc.
Recipe Note - Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragu
This sauce freezes wonderfully. To freeze, place in freezer-safe containers or zip-top freezer bags, label it and store frozen for up to 2 months. I often freeze individual lunch portions too. To use, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove top making sure you bring it all the way to a nice boil.
Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragù
Everyday Veggie-Loaded Ragu
This ragu / meat sauce is hearty and delicious and loaded with veggies! Mushrooms, carrots, zucchini and celery all contribute to a flavourful sauce full of nutrition. This recipe is intentionally big so there is leftovers to freeze for another meal. Tip: use a food processor to do all the chopping to save yourself tons of time.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat a large 6-7 Quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Have ready a very large bowl that can hold all the sautéed vegetables (from steps 2 and 3 below).
- Brown mushrooms: Once hot, add 1 tbsp of cooking fat and add half the diced mushrooms. Cooking the mushrooms in batches prevents overcrowding and gives them a chance to dry out and brown. Don’t salt yet as it draws out moisture thus prevents browning. After mushrooms brown up, season with a pinch of salt. Toss well then transfer to the large bowl. Repeat with remaining mushrooms.
- Sauté aromatics and vegetables: Add more oil and sauté onions. Season with a pinch of kosher salt right away to encourage caramelization. When onions turn transparent, add garlic, carrots, celery and zucchini along with another pinch of salt. Continue to sauté until veggies are just starting to soften, a few minutes. Transfer to the bowl holding the sautéed mushrooms.
- Brown ground meat: Add oil and brown ground meat in 4 additions, adding ½ lb to the pot at a time. As the first batch cooks through and browns just a bit around the edges, push it to the side and add the next batch of ground meat. Continue until all the meat is added. Season with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt (increase to 2 teaspoons if using Diamond Crystal salt) and black pepper to taste.
- Add remaining ingredients for the sauce: Push ground meat to the sides to clear a spot in the middle. Add dried oregano, dried chili flakes and tomato paste. Allow them cook in the direct heat for a moment before stirring with the meat. Cook until tomato paste turns from bright orange red to a deeper hue of red, about 3 minutes. Add red wine and simmer until the sharp smell of alcohol dissipates. Transfer the contents from the large bowl (mushrooms, aromatics, vegetables) back to the pot. Add all 3 jars of tomato sauce and the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook with the lid on for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours, stirring occasionally.
- To finish: Add milk and honey (or sugar) to offset tartness. Taste a final time and adjust seasonings as needed i.e. salt, honey or sugar, black pepper, chili pepper flakes. Serve over pasta or zoodles and enjoy!
Notes
Freezing: This recipe intentionally makes a lot of sauce because it freezes wonderfully. Place in freezer-safe containers or zip-top freezer bags, label it and freeze up to 2 months. I often freeze individual lunch portions too.
To thaw: Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove top making sure you bring it all the way to a boil for a few minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
210Fat
8 gSat. Fat
2 gCarbs
17 gFiber
4 gNet carbs
13 gSugar
10 gProtein
17 gSodium
925 mgCholesterol
65 mgDisclaimer: nutritional information is auto-generated and may not be 100% accurate.
If you made this recipe, please consider a star rating and/or leaving a comment below. It helps other readers find it and I love to hear from you. If you have any questions, ask away — I’m always happy to help!