This Hearty Vegan Bolognese Sauce is a delicious take on a Classic Italian Recipe, made with meaty mushrooms, veggies, San Marzano tomatoes, white wine, and fresh herbs. Serve with spaghetti of course!
This Vegan Bolognese Sauce is a family favourite and is the best you’ll taste!! The vegan meat sauce is adapted from my old Bolognese recipe, made with pork and beef. I’ll tell you, this meatless and dairy free version is just as tasty and better for you too.
Have it for lunch or dinner or a late night snack! – whatever works for you!
I like adding either soy curls, or lentils or meatless crumbles ( I love Gardein) or TVP ( textured vegetable protein) to the sauce. Beyond meat is delicious also!! Whatever you choose it will add a great ‘meaty’ element to the bolognese sauce.
Or omit the vegan ‘meat’ options all together! It’s equally delicious either way!
This is truly one of the best Vegan bolognese sauce recipes you will make!
What is the key ingredient for a good Vegan Bolognese Sauce?
Your sauce is only as good as your tomatoes! So buy good quality tomatoes guys. Trust me it makes all the difference, and if you process your own tomatoes – Even better! ?
My favorite tomatoes are San Marzano tomatoes from Italy. They’re the best.
How to use soy curls:
Soy curls are so easy to use! Just hydrate with boiling water or broth, for 10 minutes. Drain and squish out all the extra liquid, and add to your favourite recipes.
How to make a Vegan Bolognese Sauce:
Making vegan bolognese sauce is just a matter of sautéing your mushrooms and veggies, adding your herbs, spices, wine and then tomatoes, simmering for 20 minutes then pureeing a couple label fulls of sauce, and adding back to pot.
Then you add your protein ( optional), whether that’s soy curls, Gardein Meat Crumbles, TVP, beyond meat or cooked lentils! Cover and keep on simmering folks, another 25 minutes or so. Boom – you’ve got an amazing Vegan Bolognese Sauce!
Cook up your spaghetti or your favourite noodles and have a pasta party ?
So let’s get cooking folks so we can slurp some pasta with the best meat free sauce ever!
This Vegan Bolognese Sauce is:
freezer friendly
hearty & healthy
the best!
protein packed
easily gluten free
meaty
nut free
kid friendly
rich
slurpalicious
So flavourful
Enjoy you Guys. Happy day? Feel free to comment below and rate this recipe. I’d love to hear from you!
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Want more Vegan Pasta Recipes? Check these out:
- Best Vegan Alfredo Sauce with fettuccine
- Vegan Lasagna – The Best Recipe
- Easy Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Pasta (Tomato Sauce) (Vegan)
Best Vegan Bolognese Sauce Ever!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 8-9 cups of sauce ( 6-8 servings) 1x
- Category: Mains, Gluten free,
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
This Hearty Vegan Bolognese Sauce is a delicious take on a Classic Italian Recipe, made with meaty mushrooms, veggies, San Marzano tomatoes, white wine, and fresh herbs. Serve with spaghetti of course!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil or so ( optional) see instructions
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4–6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 large celery stalk, diced
- 1 med-large carrot, grated ( 1 cup approx)
- 1 and 1/2 lbs (680 grams) mushrooms, chopped or pulsed in food processor
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped – don’t skimp?
- 1 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp fennel powder
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp celery salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp “Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Beef soup Base” ( they also sell an organic variety)
- 1 tbsp Braggs or lite Tamari
- 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 2 cans San Marzano tomatoes (28 fluid oz/796 ml each)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup soy curls ( dehydrated), or cooked lentils or meat crumbles (I like gardein) or TVP, see notes*
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2– 454 gram boxes spaghetti ( 2 lbs/32 oz) or noodles of choice ( reg or gluten free) ( my favourite is Dececco pasta)
Instructions
- Add the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, mushrooms, oil and a pinch of salt & pepper to a large Dutch oven and saute on medium heat ( if avoiding oil saute in water or broth). Cook for 10 minutes or so until veggies start to soften and the mushrooms release their juices.
- Now add the herbs, spices, Braggs, Nutritional yeast, bouillon, liquid smoke and wine. simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Next add the tomatoes to food processor and pulse a few times or puree them it’s up to you. (I like to leave a little texture to the tomatoes)
- Now add pulsed tomatoes and water to pot, give it a good stir. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- While sauce is simmering add the soy curls to a soup bowl with a cup of boiling water or veggie stock, let them rehydrate for 10 minutes. Drain and squish out all excess water. Chop them up small. Set aside.
- After 20 minutes remove lid and take 3 big ladel fulls of sauce and puree in food processor and return to pot.
- Add the rehydrated Soy Curls or Gardein meat crumbles (from frozen) or lentils or TVP, give it a stir, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
- While sauce is simmering cook your pasta according to instructions. Drain but don’t rinse your pasta. Add drizzle of olive oil to the noodles, mix with tongs ( optional)
- After 25 minutes remove sauce from heat, give it a stir. If sauce is to thick for your liking add little water. Season with salt & pepper if necessary
- Enjoy your Vegan Bolognese sauce with your favourite pasta or polenta
Notes
- I always end up adding a little water to sauce at the end or when I’m reheating left over sauce.
- Some people like to add a pinch of sugar to their sauce to cut acidity and or a couple tbsps plant milk. Feel free? I’m happy with flavour as is but everyone’s different! I sometimes add a pinch of cayenne though?
- I quite often use Gardein Meat Crumbles instead of Soy Curls for this recipe. They are awesome, add 1 and 1/2 cups straight to the sauce.
- This recipe also works great with TVP ( textured vegetable protein), just add the 3/4 cup of tvp instead of soy curls but don’t hydrate just toss them in, you might have to add in a little extra water to sauce?
- I’ve made this sauce with beyond meat too! and it is delicious!! I just break apart beyond meat burgers with a fork as they cook after the veggies have cooked for a few minutes. You can use the beyond ground beef instead.
- And also works great with lentils just add your cooked lentils in place of soy curls
- This recipe makes a lot of sauce so feel free to freeze some for a rainy day.
- Nutritional chart does not include liquid smoke
Keywords: vegan bolognese sauce, meat free sauce, vegan bolognese, meaty, rich, best, tvp, soy curls, gluten free, oil free, spaghetti bolognese, lentil, with, mushrooms, vegan, protein, high, nutrition,
Hi, what can I substitute for the white wine? Thanks!!
Hi Dee, you could just add some red wine or add a little water, I like the recipe best as written though, Enjoy!
Going to give your bolognese a go! The ingredients sound delicious. My husband likes the recipe from Gordan Ramsay but I refuse to cook meat for him anymore. My friend suggested your food blog to me. Excited to try your vegan recipes.
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Oh nice! Hope you and your husband enjoy the recipe! Thanks so much May!
Best vegan meat sauce I’ve ever made. You’re recipes are fantastic!
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Oh what a nice compliment, thank you so much Caroline you made my day! Thrilled you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for sharing a meat free and nut free bolognese!! Every recipe I see has walnuts!! I am so grateful to have found this and boy was it tasty!! My husband said it tasted like his Nona’s pasta sauce. Thanks again from my happy family😊
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What a nice compliment! thank you Shawna. Thrilled your family’s enjoying the recipe.
Made your vegan bolognese using lentils and it was excellent. The sauce has so much flavour we were really impressed. My family thanks you for the easy recipe!
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You are so welcome Jacklyn! Thrilled your family loves the recipe. Thanks so much for your comment
I made your vegan bolognese using beyond beef plant based ground and it was phenomenal. I cooked the meat separately and added it into the sauce. This recipe is excellent! Thank you
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Yum sounds great!! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. I enjoy using beyond meat products as well sometimes. Thank you so much for your comment Joseph! have a great day!
My kids loved it!!
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OH wonderful! So glad everyone loved it. My grand kids love it too. Thanks so much for your comment Laura?
Looks good, I’ll bet Carl likes it. ?
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thanks Troy ? Yes He loves it!
Looking forward to trying this recipe out!
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Awesome let me know if you do! ? Have a great day Karen, thx for your comment.