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Vegan Spaghetti Tempeh Bolognese Bowl Overhead

Vegan Tempeh Bolognese

The Pesky Vegan
This hearty tempeh bolognese has a meaty texture and flavourful base, making for a delicious vegan pasta sauce that's low in fat and gluten-free. Great with spaghetti or your favourite pasta alternative.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Gluten-free, Vegan
Servings 4
Calories 228 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, grated or finely chopped
  • 2 medium sticks celery, finely chopped
  • 7 oz (200 g) fresh tempeh, chopped into small cubes (approx. ½ cm, see notes for gluten-free)
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  • ½ cup (120 ml) red wine (ideally vegan, optional)
  • 2x 14 oz (400 g) tins plum tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon GF yeast extract (or 2-3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano (or homemade Italian mixed herbs)
  • 1 cup (250 ml) vegan stock or pasta cooking water
  • Small handful fresh basil
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large pan on low/medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery, and soften for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper at this stage.
  • Once the veg has softened, add the chopped tempeh and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly to try and get some colour on the tempeh pieces. If necessary, you can add a little more olive oil to help it along.
  • Turn up the heat, then add the tomato puree and red wine. Stir well and cook for a minute, before adding the tinned tomatoes and breaking these apart with a spoon.
  • Next, stir in the yeast extract (or tamari/soy sauce), bay leaves, dried oregano, and vegan stock (or pasta cooking water – see next step). You can also rinse each tomato tin with a splash of water and add this to the pan. Stir well and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.
  • If you're cooking dried pasta to serve with the bolognese, I'd start that about now. As the pasta cooks, you can add some of the starchy cooking water to the sauce to help thin it out. Do this as much as you need to maintain the desired consistency.
  • Once the sauce has been cooking for around 10 minutes, chop most of the fresh basil and stir this in. Adjust the seasoning and serve with freshly cooked pasta or a pasta substitute of your choice. Top with fresh basil leaves and cashew parmesan.

Notes

Gluten-free: Tempeh is often naturally gluten-free, but you may want to double-check that yours is certified or labelled as such. You'll also want to use a GF yeast extract (or tamari/soy sauce), vegan stock, and pasta variety.
Frozen tempeh: If using frozen tempeh, defrost this first according to package instructions.
Veg: If you don't want to finely chop all the veg, you could simply blitz it in a food processor.
Other additions: Ingredients such as chopped mushrooms or walnuts would also work well here.
Wine: If you don’t want to splash out on a bottle of (ideally vegan) red wine, just skip this.
Pasta: If cooking pasta, I find it’s always better to cook this ‘to order’. I.e. if there are two of you eating, just cook 200-250 grams of pasta and save the rest of the sauce for the next time you want to eat.
Storage: You can store this in the fridge for up to four days or freezer for several months.
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* The nutrition info below is for one serving of the tempeh bolognese, based on a total of four servings. It doesn't include information for cooked pasta or other accompaniments.

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 13gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 428mgPotassium: 910mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 5600IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 169mgIron: 4mg
Nutrition Facts
Vegan Tempeh Bolognese
Amount Per Serving
Calories 228 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Sodium 428mg19%
Potassium 910mg26%
Carbohydrates 22g7%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 13g26%
Vitamin A 5600IU112%
Vitamin C 25mg30%
Calcium 169mg17%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword tempeh pasta, tempeh recipe, vegan pasta
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