This vegan spaghetti Bolognese recipe has the deep, rich flavors of the meaty original. But you won’t miss the meat with mushrooms! It’s the perfect hearty red-sauce recipe for pasta night. I’ll teach you my technique for getting the texture just right. Plus a few suggestions for people who don’t like mushrooms.
Why This Recipe Works
- Chopped mushrooms mimic the meat from a traditional Bolognese sauce.
- Hearty, rich Italian comfort food. Vegan. No compromise in flavor.
- So quick and easy. Grandma’s slow simmered sauce in under an hour.
When I set out to make a vegan Bolognese sauce, I knew I had my work cut out for me. A Bolognese sauce without meat is sort of like making pizza without a flour crust – or a risotto without arborio rice. Classic spaghetti with meat sauce is well known and steeped in tradition because the original just tastes so darn delicious.
Does this vegan pasta sauce deliver the classic flavors I expect from old school spaghetti Bolognese? Yes. And I can’t wait to share this easy plant based recipe with you!
Table of Contents
What is Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese sauce is a slow cooked ragù made with ground meat, onions and tomato sauce that hails from Bologna, Italy. Common aromatics include garlic, celery and carrots – and beef and fatty pork are typical ground meats used in this thick red sauce. It’s the perfect example of combining humble ingredients to create a depth-of-flavor greater than the sum of its parts.
What is Vegan Bolognese
Vegan Bolognese is made by switching out the ground meat in favor of a plant based alternative – while preserving both the savory, rich flavor and thick texture. Common meat substitutes are lentils, TVP, mushrooms and tofu crumbles.
What to Use Instead of Meat
Mushrooms.
Using simple diced button mushrooms instead of ground meat is a win on two fronts.
- The savory and umami elements of cooked mushrooms deliver something very similar to meat in the flavor department.
- Mushrooms have heft. This vegan Bolognese sauce doesn’t taste like a lightened-up version of the original. The sauce has the meaty weight, texture and viscosity of its predecessor while being totally plant based!
Vegan Bolognese Sauce Ingredients
Scroll to the bottom of this page for the full recipe and measurements!
- Olive Oil: A good extra virgin olive oil definitely makes a difference. But don’t spend a fortune. This is an olive oil I like cooking with that won’t break the bank.
- Garlic and Onions: These are your aromatics. And nothing smells better than when minced garlic and diced onions first go in the pan (it’s the ultimate anticipation builder).
- Carrots and Green Bell Pepper: For a little earthy, garden fresh sweetness.
- Mushrooms: I tend to use button mushrooms because they’re always available at the grocery store. You’ll want to finely chop about 10 ounces. If the stems look funky, trim the ends off.
- Thyme and Oregano: Dried spices work perfectly for this recipe.
- Diced Tomatoes: While you can dice your own fresh tomatoes if you prefer, I just use a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes from the corner market. Easy.
- Spaghetti: I prefer dry thin spaghetti cooked al dente. But use what you have handy. Follow the box instructions for timing.
Pro Tip Don’t rinse your cooked spaghetti! Rinsing after draining removes the starch that helps your sauce bind to the pasta.
How to Make Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- In a large pot over medium high heat add the olive oil and swirl so the entire cooking surface is coated. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and onions. Cook until the onions become translucent (about 2-3 minutes).
- Then add the finely chopped carrots, bell peppers and mushrooms. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
- Next add thyme, oregano, tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Once bubbling, cover the pot and lower the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Put 2 1/2 cups of the vegan bolognese sauce into a blender and pulse a few times – do not over-blend – until the texture looks like ground meat. Return the blended sauce to the large pot and stir to incorporate.
- Prepare your spaghetti in a large pot of salted water according to the instructions on the box. Cook al dente, drain [but do not rinse] and serve topped with vegan Bolognese sauce.
Pro Tip The secret to the sauce is in step 4. Gently blending a portion of the sauce and then stirring it back into the sauce pot creates not only the proper appearance of Bolognese sauce – but also right texture. Thick, meaty and perfect.
Vegan Bolognese Recipe Tips and Variations
There’s a lot of leeway when it comes to making red sauces – both in terms of ingredients and in the ways you use this vegan Bolognese. Here are some ideas.
- Pan fry the diced mushrooms. For even more meaty texture and umami, pan fry the chopped mushrooms in a pan with a little oil until they start to brown. Do this before making the sauce.
- Make it spicy. A teaspoon of crushed red pepper would introduce some heat.
- Change the pasta. Tagliatelle, pappardelle and rigatoni would all work.
- Make spiralized veggie pasta. Grab a spiralizer and make ‘pasta’ from zucchini, carrots and cucumber. This is great if you’re following a gluten free diet.
- Use as a lasagna sauce. Make a vegetarian lasagna with this mushroom based ‘meat’ sauce in between layers of pasta sheets and ricotta cheese.
What if I don’t like mushrooms?
If mushrooms aren’t your thing, here are a few alternatives to mimic meat in vegan Bolognese sauce.
EXPAND HERE FOR VEGAN MUSHROOM ALTERNATIVES
- Lentils
- Soy Crumbles
- TVP (textured vegetable protein)
- Beyond Meat Plant Based Ground
- Finely chopped seitan
Storage
Fridge: Store leftover Bolognese sauce in the refrigerator (covered) for up to 4 days.
- Be sure to store the sauce separately from any leftover pasta.
- Leftover sauce may separate slightly in the fridge. Just stir well prior to reheating your leftovers.
Freezer: You can also freeze leftover spaghetti sauce for up to 4 months.
- Again store the sauce separately from the leftover pasta.
- Place the sauce inside single serving food storage containers or freezer bags and write today’s date on each container.
Frequently Asked Questions
I doubt that I’m alone in the whole growing up thinking my mom made the absolute best spaghetti sauce in the entire world department. Spaghetti sauce – and a slow cooked Bolognese sauce in particular – comes from a rich, nurturing place in the heart. Mom’s sauce frequently sets the standard against which all subsequent sauces are compared. That said, this reminds me of my Mom’s sauce. So, yeah.
The deep, almost smoky flavor in this sauce belies the use of just a few humble vegetables and some diced tomatoes. However, it’s the mushrooms that impart a lot of the rich umami you’d typically be getting from meat. They deliver a savory base of flavor in a very short amount of time.
Yes and no. In Italy, you probably wouldn’t be served a plate of spaghetti Bolognese. This rich, meaty ragù would typically be served with tagliatelle – or as the hearty tomato based element in lasagna. However, food has the tendency to take on elements of the regions where it is most frequently prepared and devoured. Generations of Italian-Americans would say it’s traditional.
What to Serve With Spaghetti Bolognese
There’s everything to love about pasta night when you make a simple side salad and garlic bread. It’s how we roll at my place! But if you’re looking to whip up a proper Italian feast, here are some sides that pair well.
- Marinated Zucchini
- Pizza Margherita (Gluten Free)
- Eggplant Tartare
- Tuscan White Bean Soup
- Italian Cauliflower Stir Fry
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Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
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Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
- Category: Vegan
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Grandma’s slow simmered red sauce flavor in under an hour. 100% meat-free spaghetti Bolognese. Hearty, rich Italian comfort food.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces dried thin spaghetti or regular spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
- 10 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 28 ounces can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium high heat, add olive oil, garlic and onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Add carrots, green bell peppers and mushrooms, stir and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add thyme, oregano, tomatoes and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Put 2 1/2 cups of the vegan bolognese sauce into a blender and pulse a few times – do not over blend – until the texture looks like ground meat. Return to the pot and stir. Serve with pasta.
- For the pasta: fill a large pot with water and salt (approximately 1 tablespoon salt, or 1.5 tablespoon kosher salt, per quart). Bring to a boil.
- Cook pasta according to directions on the package (about 6-7 minutes for thin spaghetti). Drain – do not rinse – and set aside.
Notes
Save any leftover sauce – separate from the cooked pasta – in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 359
- Sugar: 5.8g
- Sodium: 119.6mg
- Fat: 6.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 64.5g
- Fiber: 4.1g
- Protein: 12.2g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Questions and Reviews
Hello! Does the nutrition facts include the spaghetti?
Hi Kr!
The nutritional label does not include spaghetti 🙂
No pepper/salt?
I leave that up to you guys 🙂 Since I have a pretty salty palate, I prefer not to say exactly how much salt to add as it might be too much to some cooks 🙂
I can only describe this recipe in one word “Excellent”.
Thank you for such a tasty recipe.
Thank you so much Mary! Ben and I also love this recipe, we think it’s better vegan than with meat 🙂
Great pictures! Thanks for sharing.
I made this last night to substitute for the meat sauce I usually make for lasagna and it was so good! My husband (who is not a vegetable fan) even went back for seconds. Thank you for the inspiration!
Adding this sauce to a lasagna must be so yummy! Did you use a lot of cheese?