Slow Roast Rustic Ragu

Slow Roast Rustic Ragu

This one is a proper weekend winner. We make this ragu when we want something that feels really special but is genuinely easy to pull together. The slow roasting does all the heavy lifting, and what comes out of that oven is rich, deeply savoury, and absolutely packed with flavour. Grated tempeh and mushrooms give it this incredible meaty texture that honestly surprises people every single time. Trust us, once you've made this, it's going straight into your regular rotation.

Serves 2

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large ovenproof frying pan
  • Microplane or box grater
  • Large pot for pasta

Ingredients

  • 200g tempeh
  • 300g mushrooms (e.g. chestnut, oyster or shiitake)
  • 1 large onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • 1 400g chopped tomatoes
  • 400ml vegetable stock
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 4 tbs Kikkoman soy sauce (divided)
  • 6 sprigs thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 250g tagliatelle
  • To serve
  • Fresh basil leaves

Method

1

Prepare the ingredients

  • Coarsely grate the tempeh, mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery and mince the garlic
2

For the Ragu

  • In the large ovenproof frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat
  • Add the tempeh and mushrooms and cook for 8-10 minutes until deep golden
  • Add in 2 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce and cook for 1 minute or until sticky and caramelised
  • Add the cherry tomatoes, onion, carrots, celery for a few minutes
  • Add the tomato purèe, garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding in the tinned tomatoes, vegetable stock, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a simmer
3

Roast the ragu

  • Roast in the oven for 60-70 minutes, stirring halfway through, until thick, jammy and slightly charred on top
4

For the pasta

  • 10 minutes before the ragu is finished, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil
  • Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente
  • Reserve some pasta water, drain and set aside
5

Combine and serve

  • Remove the thyme sprigs and bay from the ragu and stir through the remaining Kikkoman soy sauce
  • Add the pasta, and toss with the ragu
  • Taste and season with Kikkoman soy sauce, salt and pepper
  • Serve with extra virgin olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper and basil leaves to garnish

Tips & Variations

  • Get a good sear: Don't rush the tempeh and mushroom stage. Let them go properly golden before adding anything else. That colour is where all the flavour lives.
  • Swap the tempeh: If you can't find tempeh, coarsely grated firm tofu works really well here too. Just press it first so it's nice and dry before it hits the pan.
  • Make it go further: We love serving this over pappardelle or rigatoni, but it's also brilliant spooned over polenta or even loaded onto toasted sourdough for something a bit different.

Why This Works

The trick here is grating the tempeh and mushrooms rather than chopping them. It gives the ragu a gorgeous rustic texture and loads more surface area to get golden and caramelised in the pan. Then the soy sauce goes in and just transforms everything, adding this deep umami hit that makes the whole thing taste like it's been cooking for hours even before it goes in the oven.