Sugo Finto, Vegetable Sauce

Sugo Finto is a traditional Tuscan sauce that uses hearty vegetables instead of meat. The vegetables are simmered with tomatoes, red wine and good herbs to create a flavour-packed sauce that's solid served with pasta.

Sugo Finto is the solid example of Cucina Povera, a traditional Italian way of using humble ingredients to create nourishing and flavourful meals.

This Tuscan recipe translates as 'fake sauce' and is meant to resemble a rich, hearty meat ragu but uses vegetables instead of meat. It's such a great way of packing lots of veg into one meal and honestly, it tastes so good.

If you're looking for more Italian meat-free sauces, then try our Piedmontese Hazelnut Ragu which is another good recipe with a great depth of flavour!

We served our Sugo Finto with dried rigatoni pasta, but gnocchi is also good. See the full recipe below plus some yummy variations you can try.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Soffritto (carrot, celery and onion) – since the carrot adds a lot of sweetness to the sauce we prefer to use brown onions instead of white onions.
• Italian Red wine – wines we use and drink often are Montepulciano, Morelino di Scanzano, Brunello di Montalcino or a Sangiovese. Italian white wines will also work well.
• Whole plum tomatoes – either crush them by hand before adding or break them up in the pan with the side of a wooden spoon. Alternatively, you can use good-quality chopped tomatoes like Mutti Polpa.
• Herbs – We used fresh woody herbs, rosemary and sage which are commonly added to meat ragu.
• Stock – use a low-sodium vegetable stock (you can also use chicken) if possible so you can control the amount of salt added.

Visual walk-through of the recipe

1. Saute veg – finely chop the carrot, celery and onion and peel the whole garlic clove. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan on a medium-low heat and saute the vegetables, garlic and herbs with a good pinch of salt until soft but not browned. There is a lot of chopped veg here so this takes around 30 minutes (photo 1).
2. Add wine – one the veg has softened add the wine and let it simmer and reduce for 1-2 minutes (photo 2).

1. Add tomatoes – Next, add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste and stir them into the sauce. Add the canned plum tomatoes and vegetable stock and break up the tomatoes with the side of a wooden spoon. Stir everything into the sauce (photos 3 and 4).
2. Simmer – simmer the sauce gently for 30 minutes. Taste the sauce and if you'd like the veg a little soften you can simmer it for another 10-15 minutes, add a little additional water or stock at a time if it starts to reduce too much. Check for seasoning and add more salt to taste (photos 5 and 6).
3. Serve – serve with your favourite pasta topped with lots of Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano.

Swaps

• Adding other vegetables and herbs – this recipe is all about using up what you've got and can be adapted to the seasons. If you have zucchini (courgette), eggplant (aubergine) or peppers that need using up they will work brilliantly here. You can also use fresh parsley and/or basil instead of rosemary and sage to change the flavour.
• Adding meat – Sugo Finto means 'fake sauce/ragu' and is meant to resemble a meat ragu using only veg. Of course, you don't have to stick to this and can add in chopped pancetta, guanciale or even sausage if you have it.
• Make it spicy – add in some red pepper flakes (chilli flakes), fresh red chilli or even some 'Nduja for a spicy kick.
• What pasta to use – Dried pasta such as rigatoni, penne or tagliatelle works well with this sauce. Fresh tagliatelle or gnocchi are also good!

More Cucina Povera recipes to try

Pasta

Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)

Soups

Pappa al Pomodoro (Italian Bread Soup)

Soups

Minestra di Riso (Italian Rice Soup)

Mains

Vegetable Ragu with Pappardelle Pasta

Ingredients

Makes 4 - 6 servings

• 3 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 3 brown onions
• 1 garlic clove (peeled and kept whole)
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig sage leaves ((about 5-6 leaves))
• 1 bay leaf
• ⅓ cup (80ml) Italian red wine
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (concentrate)
• 6 sun dried tomatoes (jarred in oil)
• 14 oz (400g) canned peeled plum tomatoes ((we used Mutti Pelati))
• 2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock
• Olive oil
• Salt

For serving

• 1 lb (450g) dried pasta ((we used rigatoni))
• Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano (for grating on top)

Method

1. Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion and peel the whole garlic clove.

2. Add around 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan on a medium-low heat. Add the vegetables, whole garlic clove, rosemary sprig, sage leaves and bay leaf with a good pinch of salt. Saute the veg slowly until soft but not browned. This step takes around 30 minutes, stir the vegetables every so often so they don't catch on the pan.

3. Once the vegetables have softened, add the red wine and let it simmer and reduce for 1-2 minutes whilst stirring.

4. Next, add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and the tomato paste and stir it into the vegetables.

5. Add the canned tomatoes and vegetable stock breaking the tomatoes up with the side of a wooden spoon. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes until reduced and thickened.

6. After 30 minutes you can taste the sauce and if you'd like the vegetables to have a softer texture continue to simmer it for another 10-15 minutes. Add a little extra water or stock if the sauce reduces too much. Add more salt to taste at the end.

7. Note: when the sauce is done you can remove the whole garlic clove, bay leaf and the herb stalks.

For serving

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Cook your pasta until al dente.

2. Add your pasta to the sauce using a slotted spoon and toss to combine in the sauce. Serve in bowls topped with freshly grated cheese on top.

Kitchen notes

• Prep in advance the sauce tastes even better the next day so is great for prepping in advance. Alternatively, you can chop all the veg in advance and keep them in the fridge or freezer to speed things up.
• Leftovers and storage the sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated on the stovetop. Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce if needed.
• Freezing you can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months.
• Alcohol when we're making this for our toddler we leave out the wine and it's still good. skip that step if you'd rather not add it.
• Nutrition The estimated nutrition values include the sauce and pasta.