Leftover Parmesan Rinds Are The Key To An Umami-Filled Vegetarian Bolognese

Bolognese is a rich Italian sauce full of meat and vegetables that makes a hearty dinner. It features onion, garlic, celery, tomatoes, and basil. It's easy to make, too — everything just simmers simmered on the stovetop until it's fragrant and thick. It's served over any kind of pasta, most traditionally spaghetti or linguine. Vegetarian Bolognese sauces are delicious, too, but they don't have the meaty edge the traditional recipe has.

In all Bolognese dishes, especially vegetarian dishes, what we're striving for is called umami, the fifth taste besides sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Umami is a meaty taste. But the wonderful thing about umami is that you don't need meat to add it to recipes. 

Umami flavors are found in beef, of course, but they're also found in mushrooms, tomatoes, soy sauce, garlic, and aged cheese. That's why leftover aged Parmesan rinds are the key to an umami-filled vegetarian Bolognese.

Parmesan rinds are gold in the kitchen. They're rich in umami flavor and add meaty notes to stews, sauces, and gravies. This cheese is high in glutamate, which provides the meaty flavor as it reacts with g-coupled protein receptors on the tongue. (If your Parmesan cheese has crunchy crystals in it, those are made from glutamate.)

Toss that Parmesan rind into Bolognese sauce for fabulous flavor. Just be sure to remove it before you eat; it's tough and not very pleasant to eat, although technically edible.

But if you're a strict vegetarian or vegan, Parmesan cheese isn't for you. Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is only made in certain areas of Italy under strict rules and supervision, is made with rennet, from calves' stomachs. Instead, look for vegan Parmesan cheeses, and buy a slice from a whole wheel, not grated Parm. You can find vegetarian Parmesan wheels at BelGioioso and wedges at Artisan Pantry. Look for options that have those wonderful crystals.

You can convert any meat-based Bolognese sauce into a vegetarian version; just be sure to use umami-rich foods. Substitute soy crumbles for the beef or pork, or chop up a variety of fresh and dried reconstituted mushrooms and use those in place of meat. Then, of course, toss in a Parmesan cheese rind and let it simmer. As long as you keep an eye on it and stir occasionally, vegetarian Bolognese sauce can simmer for hours.

Just leave the beef out of this recipe for mushroom and beef spaghetti Bolognese and add 8 ounces of another type of mushroom (portobello or baby bella are both good options). Add the Parmesan rind and simmer for 30 minutes before you add the cream. 

Eggplant Bolognese recipes are another solid option because that vegetable is rich in umami flavor. And a Parmesan rind will add the perfect meaty flavor.