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?
- 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
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.
SERVING VEGETARIAN 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.
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.
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 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.
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 1/2 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)
- 1/2 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)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored oat milk (or plant milk of choice)
- 1/4 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.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
12 servingsServing Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 163Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 0mgSodium 38mgCarbohydrates 28gFiber 6gSugar 4gProtein 8g
Nutrition facts may not be 100% accurate.
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! 🙂
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