Vegan Bolognese

We haven't had much of a winter on the East Coast, but it's been chilly enough that hot meals have been a preference of mine for many an evening.  I don't eat a lot of pasta, but after a delicious zucchini pasta dish I had recently, I developed a craving.  I was trying to decide how to make a hearty sauce so that I could enjoy my pasta but not consume too many calories.  Here is what I came up with ~ a vegan bolognese.  It was a perfect solution and I froze the extra sauce!

You will need:

1.5 small yellow onion, diced

1 c wild mushrooms, chopped 1 package shiitake, stems removed, choppedExtra virgin olive oilHandful of flat leaf parsley
1 TBSP vegan butter1 tsp kosher salt1 box of pasta of your choosing: spaghetti, farfalle, penne, quinoa, brown rice or regular...anything will do!
1 jar of your favorite sauce (I love Rao's)

In a small sautee pan, heat the olive oil, ad a touch of salt, and cook the onion until it starts to brown and become a bit translucent.

At the same time, bring a medium pot of water to boil.

Next add the mushrooms to the onions, and continue to cook until well combined and tender, adding the butter as it all cooks together.

Cook your pasta to your liking.  I prefer al dente.  Drain the water but do not rinse.  Sauce sticks better when some of the wet starch lingers on the noodles.

Add the noodles back to the pot, with the mushroom mixture, and the jar of sauce, and heat on a low temperature until everything is warm again.

Plate, top with fresh parsley, and serve!