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    Home / Recipes / Entrees

    Vegan Bolognese

    Published: Oct 13, 2020 · Modified: Jun 27, 2022 by Kathy Carmichael · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Vegetarian Bolognese

    When I think about comfort food, Italian food always comes to mind. Vegetarian Bolognese, for example, is one of my favorite dishes. Bolognese sauce, although traditionally a meat sauce, can easily be made vegan with just a few adjustments. 

    In fact,  Bolognese sauce is much thicker than a typical American red sauce, because it's creamier with just a touch of tomato. Since most Italian sauces are mostly tomato-based, my vegetarian Bolognese is similar to a ragout. 

    HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE

    As I said earlier, traditional Bolognese contains meat and heavy cream. My bolognese, however, is full of lentils, vegetables, and a little oat milk and nutritional yeast for the creamy component. 

    WHAT VEGETABLES ARE IN THE BOLOGNESE SAUCE?

    Bolognese vegetables

    • Mushrooms
    • Carrots
    • Celery
    • Onions
    • Garlic

    WHAT OTHER INGREDIENTS ARE IN VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE?

    • Lentils
    • POMI Chopped Tomatoes
    • Oat Milk (unsweetened and unflavored or other plant milk)
    • Nutritional Yeast
    • Tomato paste
    • Vegetable Broth (only if making the one-pot option)
    • Red Wine (dry)
    • Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (I used Annie's ) 
    • Whole-Grain Spaghetti or Pasta of Choice
    • Italian Seasoning 
    • Vegan Parmesan Cheese
    • Parsley

    Bolognese Sauce

    In order to make the sauce, simply cook the ingredients in what I call layers in a large pot. For example, begin by sautéing the garlic and onions until translucent. Then, I add the chopped mushrooms and cook until brown. Next, I add the celery, carrots, and lentils and cook for about 10 minutes. 

    Once the carrots and celery soften, I add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, and tomato paste. As the mixture cooks down, I add red wine and allow it to cook down further with the ingredients. 

    COOK THE PASTA SEPARATELY OR USE THE ONE-POT VERSION

    Even though I chose to cook the bolognese sauce separately from the pasta today, I love one-pot meals. Similar to my other one-pot meals, vegetarian Bolognese can be made in one pot by adjusting the ingredients. Because I planned to freeze half the sauce, and only make 6 servings today, I cooked the spaghetti.

    ONE-POT VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE OPTION (QUICK, EASY, AND ALL IN ONE-POT)

    • Increase the vegetable broth to 3 cups
    • Increase pasta to 16 ounces
    • Add pasta to the pot after liquids, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes

    Regardless if you cook the pasta to the pot for the one-pot version, or you cook the spaghetti separately, the plant-based milk and nutritional yeast are added last. As a result, the sauce becomes cheesy and creamy. 

    Add the bolognese to the pasta

    SERVING VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE 

    bolognese

    Next, I served in individual bowls, topped with Vegan Parmesan Cheese and my family's favorite Vegan Garlic Bread and add some parsley for color. 

    vegetarian bolognese served

    FREEZING VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE

    Whenever I make vegetarian Bolognese, I always freeze half the sauce or use the sauce for a variety of other Italian recipes during the week.

    • Vegan Lasagna
    • Veggie Stuffed Shells
    • Vegan Stuffed Shells Recipe
    • Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

    In order to freeze the sauce, make sure to leave 2 inches between the top of the freezer-safe container and the sauce. For best results, make sure the sauce is defrosted completely before reheating.

    IF YOU LOVE QUICK AND EASY PASTA RECIPES, CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES

    • One-Pot Tomato Basil Pasta
    • Vegan Cajun Pasta
    • Spinach Artichoke Pasta Recipe
    • Creamy Spicy Vegan Sausage Pasta
    • Pumpkin Rigatoni
    • Bruschetta Pasta
    • Lemon Pasta
    • Buffalo Chicken Pasta
    • Pesto Pasta with Mushrooms
    • Enchilada Pasta
    • Chicken Pot Pie Noodles
    Vegetarian Bolognese

    Vegetarian Bolognese

    Kathy Carmichael
    Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce is a combination of lentils, mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic in a light creamy tomato sauce. Vegan and oil-free, Vegetarian Bolognese is an Italian, savory pasta dish the whole family will love.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 40 mins
    Course Entrees
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 12 servings
    Calories 163 kcal

    Equipment

    • Anthony's Premium Nutritional Yeast Flakes, 1lb, Fortified, Gluten Free, Non GMO, Vegan

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 white onion diced yield 1 cup)
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup diced carrots
    • 1 cup diced celery
    • 16 ounces mushrooms chopped
    • 2 ½ cups cooked brown lentils I used Trader Joes steamed lentils
    • 1 26.46 ounce Pomi Chopped tomatoes or diced tomatoes of choice
    • 1 cup dry red wine I used Merlot
    • ½ teaspoon chili flakes red pepper flakes
    • 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire Sauce
    • 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

    Other Ingredients

    • 16 ounces whole-grain spaghetti or pasta of choice ( I used 12 ounces for 6 servings and froze the rest of the sauce)
    • ¾ cup unsweetened unflavored oat milk (or plant milk of choice)
    • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
    • Parsley garnish
    • Vegan parmesan cheese optional

    Instructions
     

    • In a large stockpot, saute garlic and onions until onions are translucent.
    • Next, add the chopped mushrooms, diced carrots, and celery and cook for a few minutes until the mushrooms are browned, and the carrots and celery are tender.
    • Add cooked lentils and stir into vegetable mixture.
    • Then, add the red wine, chili flakes, Worcestershire sauce, chopped tomatoes, and Italian seasoning.
    • Stir and allow to cook for a few minutes.
    • In a small cup, blend the oat milk (or plant milk of choice) and nutritional yeast. Set aside.
    • In a separate pot, boil water and cook spaghetti according to directions while the sauce cooks.
    • Now, pour in the plant-milk/nutritional yeast and stir.
    • Drain the noodles and add the sauce to the noodles (especially if you plan to freeze the rest of the sauce.
    • Sprinkle with chopped parsley and parmesan cheese
    • ONE-POT QUICK VERSION
    • If you plan to make it all in one pot, skip the 3 previous steps, add 3 cups of vegetable broth to the sauce, and bring it to a boil.
    • Now, add the pasta to the sauce, cover, and reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
    • Then, add the plant-mil/nutritional yeast combination and stir.
    • Serve in individual bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and vegan parmesan cheese.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 8gFat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 38mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4g
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Kathy Carmichael

    Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

    www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/
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    1. Anonymous

      October 13, 2020 at 11:54 am

      5 stars

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    2. Anonymous

      October 15, 2020 at 3:27 am

      4 stars

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    3. Anonymous

      October 20, 2020 at 11:28 am

      5 stars

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    34 shares