Looking for a plant-based twist on an absolute classic? Look no further than this vegan spaghetti bolognese. It's rich, delicious, and filling, with a meaty texture from the mushrooms and plant-based mince.
This is not a recipe designed for speed. It takes a bit of time and TLC, but if you make it in the quantities outlined below then it'll feed you for several meals throughout the week.
Better yet, make a big batch and freeze it for months to come.
If you're looking for some quicker recipes, check out this 15-minute tomato tahini pasta and 12-minute tomato & basil pasta. You could also try out this tempeh bolognese.
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What is bolognese sauce?
Bolognese sauce is a meaty ragu hailing from the northern Italian city of Bologna. Traditionally made with a soffritto of vegetables, ground beef, fatty pork, and a small amount of tomatoes, there are now many versions around the globe.
Outside of Italy, we tend to know it as a tomato-based sauce that's paired with spaghetti.
The soffritto – where it all begins
Do you know what makes a great bolognese sauce? Vegetables. The Italians call it soffritto – a mix of finely chopped onion, carrot, and celery. When fried together, these aromatic vegetables create the perfect flavourful base.
Top tip: Grating the carrot will help it to cook down in the sauce. Grate stuff.
How to make vegan bolognese meaty
There are many different recipes out there for vegan bolognese sauce. I've seen some that include lentils (green, brown, etc.), crumbled tofu, aubergine (eggplant), and even chopped walnuts. Others go for a plant-based mince such as Quorn or Beyond Meat ground beef.
In this recipe, I've gone for a mix of finely chopped mushrooms and meat-free mince for some added texture. It looks like a lot of mushrooms at first, but they'll cook down in the pan. If you want, you could simply swap out one of these for double the amount of the other.
I've also included yeast extract and vegan Worcestershire sauce for additional umami flavours. Want to learn more? Check out these other unusual vegan ingredients.
Is vegan spaghetti bolognese healthy?
This vegan spaghetti bolognese recipe is low in fat and saturated fat, and very high in plant-based protein. In fact, one serving provides almost half of your recommended daily protein amount.
The sauce itself comes in at just 217 calories per serving, rising to 562 calories when including 100 grams of dried spaghetti (although some may prefer a smaller portion than this).
If you want to turn it into a lighter lunch or starter, try swapping out the spaghetti for spiralised courgette (zucchini noodles).
How to make vegan spaghetti bolognese gluten-free
If you need to ensure that this recipe is 100% gluten-free, use a vegan stock, yeast extract, meat-free mince, and GF pasta that are all certified or labelled as such.
How to make it soya-free
If you want the recipe to be soya-free, simply use a plant-based mince that doesn't contain soya. Note: Some soya-free mince may contain wheat gluten instead, which may be a consideration depending on your dietary requirements.
How to make vegan spaghetti bolognese
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Soften for 10-15 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper.
After 15 mins, add the chopped garlic and chopped mushrooms and cook for 3-4 mins. Next, add in the meat-free mince and cook for another 3-4 mins.
If using frozen/fresh mince, simply throw it in and break it apart. If using dried mince, you'll first need to rehydrate it according to package instructions.
Turn up the heat, then add the tomato puree and red wine. Stir for a few minutes.
Once that's done, it's a case of adding in the tomatoes, vegan stock cube/powder, Henderson's Relish, Marmite, bay leaves, dried oregano/mixed herbs, and some more salt and pepper. You can also rinse each tomato tin with a splash of water and add this to the pan.
Break the tomatoes apart with a spoon, then turn down the heat and cook for about 45 minutes (but longer if you have time). Stir occasionally. This is where the magic happens.
As you near the end of the bolognese cooking time, cook your spaghetti in boiling water according to package instructions. Five minutes from the end of cooking, stir chopped fresh basil through the bolognese and check the seasoning. Use most of the basil here and then save some for serving.
Once the spaghetti is cooked, turn off the heat and drain it. Return it to the empty pan and spoon in the bolognese sauce according to the quantity of pasta you just cooked. Mix the sauce through the pasta so that it is evenly coated.
How to serve vegan spaghetti bolognese
It wouldn't be vegan spaghetti bolognese without the pasta, which I would ideally cook 'to order'. I.e. if there are two of you eating, just cook 200-250g of spaghetti and save the sauce for the next time you want to eat.
Drain the spaghetti, stir through the bolognese sauce, and serve with fresh basil and this Four-Ingredient Vegan Parmesan.
Variations/tips for vegan spaghetti bolognese
- Quantity: This is enough to make approx. 6 portions. If you don’t want to make that much, simply halve the quantities and use 2 tins of tomatoes. Likewise, you could always make it stretch a bit further by using 4 tins of tomatoes and adding a little more of each herb and seasoning.
- Pasta: While best with spaghetti, this bolognese is great with any type of pasta and can also be used in pasta bakes.
- Veg: If you can’t stand the idea of finely chopping/grating a load of veg, you could also do this in a food processor.
- Wine: If you don’t want to splash out on a bottle of (ideally vegan) red wine, just skip this.
- Henderson’s Relish: This famous Sheffield product can be found in eateries and households throughout the city, but I appreciate it may not be available where you are. Feel free to swap it out for vegan Worcestershire sauce or half the amount of red wine vinegar (just be aware that this is not always strictly vegan).
How to store vegan mushroom bolognese
While this sauce is delicious with freshly cooked spaghetti, the pasta and sauce will go a bit clumpy if stored in the fridge mixed together. If you’re making a big batch of the sauce and want to keep some, refrigerate it on its own and cook the pasta 'to order' each time.
Refrigerate: Store the vegan bolognese sauce in the fridge for up to four days, ready to reheat and stir through freshly cooked pasta. You may need to loosen it up with some water.
Freeze: Store the mushroom bolognese sauce in the freezer in sealed containers or resealable bags for up to six months. Defrost thoroughly before heating through in the microwave or in a pan with a splash of water.
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More vegan recipe ideas
If you liked this recipe, you may also enjoy:
- Ultimate Vegan Haggis
- Tempeh Bolognese
- Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
- 15-Minute Tomato Tahini Pasta
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
- Vegan Stewed Pepper Pasta
- Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese (Mushroom + Mince)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, grated or finely chopped
- 3 sticks celery, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 300 g mushrooms, finely chopped (see photo above)
- 300 g meat-free mince
- 2 tablespoons tomato puree
- 125 ml red wine (ideally vegan, optional)
- 3x 400 g tins plum tomatoes
- 1 vegan stock cube (or 2 teaspoons vegan bouillon powder)
- 2 tablespoons Henderson's Relish (or half the amount of red wine vinegar - see notes)
- 1 tablespoon Marmite (or other yeast extract if GF)
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons oregano or dried mixed herbs
- 30 g fresh basil
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 100-125 g dried spaghetti per person (normal or gluten-free)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and soften for 10-15 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. This vegetable mix is called a 'soffritto' and forms the base of many a classic Italian dish. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper at this stage.
- After 15 mins, add the chopped garlic and chopped mushrooms and cook for 3-4 mins.
- Next, add in the meat-free mince and cook for another 3-4 mins. If using frozen/fresh mince, simply throw it in and break it apart. If using dried mince, you'll first need to rehydrate it according to package instructions.
- Turn up the heat, then add the tomato puree and red wine. Stir for a few mins.
- Once that's done, it's a case of adding in the tomatoes, crumbled vegan stock cube/powder, Henderson's Relish, Marmite, bay leaves, dried oregano/mixed herbs, and some more salt and pepper. You can also rinse each tomato tin with a splash of water and add this to the pan.
- Break the tomatoes apart with a spoon, then turn down the heat and cook for about 45 minutes (but longer if you have time). Stir occasionally. This is where the magic happens.
- As you near the end of the bolognese cooking time, cook your spaghetti in boiling water according to package instructions.
- 5 mins from the end of cooking, stir chopped fresh basil through the bolognese and check the seasoning. Use most of the basil here and then save some for serving.
- Once the spaghetti is cooked, turn off the heat and drain it. Return it to the empty pan and spoon in the bolognese sauce according to the quantity of pasta you just cooked. Mix the sauce through the pasta so that it is evenly coated.
- Serve with freshly chopped basil.
Notes
- Ultimate Vegan Haggis
- Tempeh Bolognese
- Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Vegan Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
- 15-Minute Tomato Tahini Pasta
- Vegan Stewed Pepper Pasta
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom and Leek Tagliatelle
- Ultimate Vegan Lasagne
Nutrition
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As always, it looks great! I will make this for sure! I’m looking forward to those soffritto flavors!! Yum!
Simple but effective veg combo - let me know how you get on!
Made this tonight & it was very very tasty. Followed the recipe petty much to a T & it was quick & easy. A pretty well stocked store cupboard helped - one of your tips 👍🏼
It was wolfed down by the the half so another 👍🏼
Thanks & here’s to next recipe
Cheers Avril, glad the other half enjoyed it!
Made it tonight
With some modifications as we didn't have all the ingredients
Tasted lovely, family also enjoyed it
Would make again
Thanks
Glad you enjoyed, thanks very much for the review!
Really tasty recipe, I loved the texture of the mushrooms and mince together. I made this for my mum, and she said it was the ‘best Bolognese she’d ever tasted’ - high praise indeed!
Haha extremely high praise, glad you enjoyed!
Great recipe. Scaled it up as you suggest to get a couple more meals out of it. Will definitely make again!
Great stuff, glad you enjoyed!
Best bolognese recipe we've tried yet! Had to substitute with ground walnuts (200 g) as I didn't have any meat-free mince and added a grated courgette to make up for a shortfall in quantity of some of the other ingredients - but it worked too - flavours were so good! Definitely making again! Thank you!
Hi Dee, glad to hear it went down well! Good thinking with the walnuts and grated courgette, might have to try those myself. Cheers for the review!
Very tasty - I’ve always loved spag bol and this didn’t disappoint!
Thanks Vicky, glad you enjoyed!
Very tasty - I’ve always loved spag bol and this didn’t disappoint!