Ragù bianco is the white version of bolognese: a slow-simmered sauce with no tomato, or almost none. It’s all about depth of flavor. Here’s my plant-based version, served on rigatoni, with a secret ingredient that gives it body: miso.
What is ragù bianco?
It’s a bolognese without tomato. Instead, the flavor is built with soffritto (carrot, celery, onion), slow cooking and a splash of white wine. Here I still add a few cherry tomatoes at the end, for freshness.
The soffritto
Chop the carrots, celery and onions, and sweat them gently in olive oil. This is the foundation: take your time, soft vegetables make all the difference. I like to add pine nuts for crunch.
The secret: miso
This is the trick that changes everything. Miso, the fermented soybean paste, brings a deep umami flavor that stands in for meat and ties all the flavors together. Choose a dark miso (brown rice or barley), stronger than white miso. Important: add it at the end, off the heat, diluted in a little sauce. Overheated, it loses its aroma.
To finish: nutritional yeast or gomasio
Two options to sprinkle on the plate. Nutritional yeast has a cheesy taste, like a plant-based parmesan. Gomasio (toasted sesame and salt) adds crunch and a toasty flavor. Or both, it’s up to you.
The recipe
Plant-based ragù bianco with miso
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 medium red onions
- 40 g pine nuts optional
- 250 g plant-based mince
- 1 glass white wine
- 1 glass vegetable stock
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp basil fresh and/or dried
- 1 tbsp oregano fresh and/or dried
- 1 tsp dark miso
- 500 g rigatoni
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, gomasio or sesame seeds
- salt and pepper
Prep
- The soffritto: finely chop 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks and 2 medium onions. In a large casserole, heat 3 tbsp olive oil and sweat the vegetables for 5 to 8 minutes over low heat. Add 40 g pine nuts (optional but delicious).
- Brown the mince: add 250 g plant-based mince (tofu-based, for example, to keep it minimally processed) and brown over high heat for a few minutes, stirring.
- Deglaze with white wine: pour in 1 glass of white wine and let it reduce almost completely, to take off the acidity and concentrate the flavors.
- The simmer: pour in 1 glass of vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper. Simmer over very low heat until almost completely reduced (without drying out: keep a saucy texture), stirring from time to time.
- Cherry tomatoes & herbs: once the stock has reduced, add 12 cherry tomatoes cut in half, fresh and/or dried basil and fresh and/or dried oregano. Toss over high heat for 1 minute.
- The miso trick: off the heat, dilute 1 tsp dark miso (or 1 tbsp soy sauce) in a little hot sauce, then stir it into the rest. Mix for a few moments.
- Finish & serve: cook 500 g rigatoni (or other short pasta) al dente, toss with the sauce, and serve with nutritional yeast, gomasio or sesame seeds sprinkled over each plate.
Lab notes
To finish:
A simple, comforting pasta dish. If you try it, tag me on Instagram @le_labo_vegan_de_fred or leave a comment.
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