The Ultimate Meatless Roasting-Pan Ragù | Ottolenghi

Yotam Ottolenghi sets out to create the best meatless ragu and he has largely succeeded. Given how fantastic the ragù tastes, I don’t see why you’d want to eat ragù any other way. If that’s not enough, Ottolenghi further simplifies the method in making the ultimate roasting-pan ragù in just a roasting pan. The end result is a ragù full of umami and one pan to clean up afterwards. As a homecook who appreciates healthful food as the family staple, I can’t thank him enough for his tireless effort and insistence on a meatless ragù.

With all the accolades, if you want to pick apart the recipe, the one criticism is the long list of 18 ingredients. The saving grace is that the first six ingredients are pulsed in the food processor until finely chopped. These six ingredients are: carrots, onion, oyster mushrooms, dried porcini mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes. Chopping and mixing the ingredients in the food processor is a big time saver.

The chopped vegetables go into a 9- x 12-inch nonstick roasting pan. Then the next six ingredients join the party. These are the flavor components, which include olive oil, miso paste, rose harissa, tomato paste, soy sauce and cumin seeds. Bake for 40 minutes in a 400°F oven, stirring halfway through.

After baking the chopped vegetables and allow them to meld with the flavor components of the dish, it’s time to build the body of the ragù. This reminds me of the initial step of sweating the aromatics, then adding ground meat to make a typical ragù. Substituting the meat are the next six ingredients: dry brown or green lentils (1/4 cup), pearl parley (1/4 cup), vegetable or chicken stock (3 1/2 cups), coconut cream (7 tbsp), red wine (1/2 cup) and water (1/2 cup). From the amount of these bulk ingredients, you can see that they are integral in giving the ragù the necessary heft or meatiness, if you will. Roast for another 40 minutes at 375°F until the liquid is absorbed.

What surprises me is how deceiving the ultimate roasting-pan ragù is. It’s hard to tell the meatless ragù from one that is made with ground meat. When it comes to taste, the umaminess is front and center, smooth and you’d never have to worry the meat gets dry.

This is an extraordinary feat! Thanks again chef — for an amazing recipe. I can add ragù to pasta, serve with vegetables, flatbreads, nachos or as a dip for a crowd. There is practically nothing the ultimate ragù can’t enhance.

Print Recipe

The Ultimate Roasting-Pan Ragù from Ottolenghi's Flavor

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 carrots (7 oz/200 g), peeled and finely chopped
• 1 onion (8 1/2 oz/ 240 g), peeled and finely chopped
• 8 1/2 oz/ 240g oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 3/4 oz/ 50g dried porcini mushrooms, roughly blitzed
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 280g plum tomatoes (ie, about 2-3), chopped into large chunks
• 6 tbsp/ 90ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp/ 70g white miso paste
• 40g rose harissa paste
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 5 tbsp/ 75ml soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
• 3/4 cup/ 145g dried brown or green lentils
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp/ 80g pearl barley
• 3 1/4 cups/ 770ml vegetable (or chicken) stock
• 7 tbsp/ 130g coconut cream
• 1/3 cup/ 80ml red wine
• 1/2 cup/ 120 water
• Salt and black pepper
• 15g basil leaves, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

1

Heat the oven to 400°F/ 190°C (fan).

2

Working in batches, put the carrots, onion, oyster mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, garlic, and tomatoes into a food processor and pulse until everything is very finely chopped.

3

Put the chopped vegetables into a 9x13 inch/ 23 x 33cm non-stick roasting pan with at least 2 1/2-inch/ 6 cm sides. Add the olive oil, miso paste, harissa, tomato paste, soy sauce and cumin seeds and mix well. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway, until golden brown and bubbling.

4

Reduce the heat to 375°F / 180°C (fan).

5

Add all the remaining ingredients except the basil, if used, into the pan with half a teaspoon of salt and a very generous grind of black pepper. Stir very well, scraping up the crisp sides and bottom with a spatula. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for another 40 minutes.

6

Remove the foil and bake for a final 5 minutes. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes, for the sauce to be absorbed. Sprinkle the basil on top and serve.

Notes

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/nov/16/yotam-ottolenghi-mushroo-recipes-ragu-aioli-lasagne