Vegetarian Bolognese
Vegetarian bolognese sauce combines 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.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 243kcal
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
- 26.46 ounces 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 the 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 the 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.
- Add the pasta to the sauce, cover, and reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
- Then, add the plant-milk/nutritional yeast combination and stir.
- Serve in individual bowls and garnish with chopped parsley and vegan parmesan cheese.
Notes
- If making the one-pot option, the leftovers do not freeze well—however, the vegetarian bolognese stores refrigerated and covered for up to one week.
- If freezing the sauce, I suggest using Souper Cubes. Remove the frozen sauce from the freezer, and thaw overnight n the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheat the sauce in a pan on medium-low until heated, or use the reheat option on the microwave.
- Instead of lentils, try ground tempeh or ground meatless crumbles.
- Try any pasta or shape of pasta. If using gluten-free pasta, do not try the one-pot cooking option. Instead, cook the pasta separately.
- When using plant milk for cooking savory dishes, always choose unsweetened, unflavored plant milk.
Nutrition
Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 129mg | Potassium: 663mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1932IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 5mg