Hearty Vegan Bolognese Sauce

Last updated on May 21st, 2021 at 10:15 pm

Hearty, full-bodied and so delicious, this vegan bolognese is a wonderful riff on the Italian classic. Serve over your favourite pasta for a satisfying plant-based dinner the whole family will love.

While many of my pasta recipes are one-pot and easy like my one-pot mushroom pasta, my mushroom stroganoff or my one-pot spaghetti with lemon and olives, this vegan bolognese takes a little longer. But boy is it worth it. It's big, bold and super delicious.

Things to Love About This Sauce

If you want get more plants in to your diet or just miss the taste of traditional Bolognese, this recipe is for you. My whole family - vegan and non-vegan- loves this recipe! It's:

• hearty
• abundant! you can get 2 meals for a family of 3 to 4 out of a single batch.
• high in protein
• completely kid-friendly
• naturally gluten free
• adaptable and
• freezable.

Ingredients and Substitutions

TVP: textured vegetable protein is a hydrated product made from soy flour. It's high in protein and fibre and when cooked, is an awesome substitute for mince meat. You'll want the smaller crumbs not the chunks. They can be found in most supermarkets these days.

Source: The Spruce Eats

TVP is processed so we call it a "sometimes food". However, that "sometime" is now because TVP is perfect for vegan bolognese. But, if you don't want to use processed products, you can sub out the TVP for 2 cups of cooked brown lentils.

Dried porcini mushrooms: these mushrooms add so much depth to the dish - we're going to use both the hydrated mushrooms and the broth. You can find dried porcini mushrooms in most good grocers or whole food stores. If you can't get porcini mushrooms, skip them in the recipe and add a tablespoon of miso paste.

Mirepoix: the combination of diced onion, celery and carrot is called "mirepoix" - it adds a strong base to any dish. Take your time cooking the vegetables to ensure you get big flavour.

Soy milk: I know, it's a total curve ball but adding milk creates this lip-smacking silky texture to the vegan bolognese. You can skip it, but it wouldn't hurt to try it, would it? You can also use oat milk or cashew milk.

Red wine: make sure to get a vegan red wine - one that you would happily drink. The alcohol is cooked away during the cooking process so adding it is safe for kids. If you would prefer to abstain, just omit it.

Step-By-Step Instructions

You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process with images to guide you.

Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add your mirepoix and mushrooms with a good pinch of salt to the pan and cook until tender and beginning to brown. This may take up to 10-minutes.

Step 2: While your vegetables are cooking away, add the dried porcini mushrooms to the boiling water and set aside for 5-minutes for the mushrooms to soften.

Step 3: When your vegetables are ready, add the garlic, sage, nutmeg and tomato paste and cook until fragrant.

Step 4: While the garlic is cooking, strain the porcini mushrooms, keeping the liquid. Pop the dried TVC in to a bowl and pour the reserved mushroom liquid over the top through a sieve. Set aside.

Step 5: Okey-dokey, now you can chop up the hydrated porcini mushrooms and add them to the skillet. Next stir in the TVP and stir to coat well.

Step 6: Throw in the milk and the bay leaves. Cook until the milk is almost cooked away and then add your red wine and cook for around 3 minutes, stirring regularly

Step 7: Now you can go ahead and add the canned tomatoes, soy sauce, stock and nutritional yeast.

Step 8: Give it a good stir and bring the sauce up to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking until the liquid has reduced and the sauce is thick and "meaty" - around 25-30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and you are good to go.

Serving Suggestions

Over pasta: OK, yes...totally obvious 🙂

Over gnocchi: the meatiness of the sauce is delicious with soft puffy potato gnocchi

On toast with melted cheese: when I was little my mother used to serve leftover bolognese sauce over a thick piece of toast with cheese. The hot sauce melted the cheese. So good.

In a pie: this recipe makes a lot of sauce so we use the leftover in small hand pies.

Lasagne: this is the perfect vegan bolognese sauce for a hearty lasagne.

FAQs

Want more pasta recipes? Try these easy vegan recipes:

• One Pot Vegan Mushroom Pasta
• Easy Spinach Hummus Pasta Recipe
• Quick Creamy Lemon Orzo

Hungry for More Plant-Based Goodness?  Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the latest news and updates. If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook. Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family is full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.