Until recently, people in Tuscany ate very little meat at normal meals – there simply wasn’t the money and/or preserving techniques to allow it. This is a poor man’s meat sauce: the vegetables are cut finely to simulate a ground beef texture and the result is very tasty indeed.
Add less tomato for a different kind of sauce (more Tuscan). Use vegetable stock (or a little water) to prevent the sauce from drying out while it is cooking. This recipe will make plenty of sauce. With all the chopping involved, it is worth making more and freezing some (it freezes well).
Find it online: https://organictuscany.org/recipes/sugo-finto/