This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
Rich, bold and savory, this Vegan Bolognese is reminiscent of the Italian classic we all love. The filling combines mushrooms, ground walnuts, grated carrots, and onions for a meaty mince that is hearty and satisfying!
I love to veganize meat-based classics, especially when they taste just as good as the original. A few months ago, I created this Vegan Shepherd's Pie that I adapted from Gordon Ramsay's recipe. It was downright delicious!
Well, his Bolognese Recipe has a very similar base and method, so I decided to veganize that too. I've made Vegan Bolognese before but it was never as good as this one. You guys are going to love it!
I replaced the ground meat with finely chopped mushrooms and ground walnuts and used the rest of his recipe as a guide. His version calls for grated onions and carrots which broke down and added to the texture of the vegan mince.
HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
(full ingredient amounts in recipe card below)
- Preferred Cooking Oil
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Tomato Paste
- Tamari
- Red Wine
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Vegetable Broth
- Walnuts
- Nutritional Yeast
- Italian Seasoning, Bay Leaf, Salt & Pepper
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE
- Heat a Large Pan (with high sides) over medium-high heat. Once heated, add the oil and wait until it's shimmering. Add mushrooms and sauté until they have released their moisture, reduced in size and are slightly browned. The pan should be mostly dry (see photo #2 above).
- Now, reduce heat to medium and add onions, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes until cooked down (see photo #4 above).
- Make a small open space in the pan to add the tomato paste and make sure it's touching the surface. Cook for 30 seconds before combining. Add tamari and Italian seasoning and cook until the herbs are fragrant about 30-60 seconds.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and pour in the red wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes until it's almost completely reduced. Turn the heat back to medium.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, walnuts, nutritional yeast, and bay leaf. Combine and bring to a simmer then reduce to a low simmer.
- Cook until sauce thickens and flavor deepens for about 10-15 minutes (longer for deeper flavor). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let the sauce sit a few minutes to thicken.
Now you can top it on freshly-cooked pasta then sprinkle it with fresh basil and Vegan Parmesan Cheese. It pairs nicely with a medium-bodied red wine, too!
You can also use this Bolognese Sauce for Vegan Lasagna. It's heavenly!
TIPS FOR THE PERFECT VEGAN BOLOGNESE SAUCE:
The carrots need to be finely grated to soften and add to the texture of the ground "meat" texture, so don't use matchstick carrots.
Nutritional yeast helps to deepen the flavor and thicken the sauce. If you don't have it, you can omit it. Cook longer if the sauce needs to thicken more.
If you want extra richness, you can add a few tablespoons of full-fat canned coconut milk or a pat of vegan butter the last 5 minutes of cooking.
This sauce should be thick and saucy (not dry). Cooking it down should thicken it beautifully. However, if you want a thicker sauce, you can add a cornstarch slurry the last 5 minutes of cooking. Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and then add to the sauce.
Feel free to add more seasoning to taste. I like to add ½ teaspoon of crushed red pepper for a little heat.
LOVE PASTA? HERE ARE MORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
I’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.
Recipe
Vegan Bolognese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons grapeseed oil or preferred oil
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms , finely chopped (sub baby bella mushrooms)
- 1 medium onion , grated
- 2 medium carrots finely grated (*see note)
- 4 cloves garlic , minced or crushed
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free tamari , low sodium (sub soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ cup red wine
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth , low sodium
- 1 cup walnuts , ground into a course meal or chopped finely (measured whole)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast * Optional (see note)
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and fresh-cracked pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Heat a Large Pan (with high sides) over medium-high heat. Add oil and wait until it's hot and shimmering. Now add mushrooms and sauté until they have released their moisture, reduced in size and are slightly browned. The pan should be mostly dry (about 7-8 minutes).
- Reduce heat to medium and add onions, carrots, and garlic. Sauté until cooked down about 3-4 minutes.
- Make a small open space in the pan to add the tomato paste (make sure it's touching the surface of the pan). Cook for 30 seconds and then stir into the veggies.
- Add tamari and Italian seasoning. Cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and pour in the red wine. Cook until almost completely reduced, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat back to medium.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, walnuts, nutritional yeast bay leaf. Bring to a simmer then reduce to a low simmer. Cook until sauce thickens and flavor deepens, about 10-15 minutes (longer for deeper flavor). Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf and remove from heat. Let the sauce sit a few minutes to thicken. Top over freshly-cooked pasta if desired.
Jenny
Just made this for the first time tonight and it was fantastic. I opted for red wine without the broth, and it was delicious. I also skipped the bay leaf. As a 20 year chef, I'm still not convinced they actually add anything other than an annoyance when you bite into one.
I'm going to play around with it a bit to tailor it to my specific tastes, but bravo!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Jenny, I'm so happy you loved the sauce. So glad it worked with just the wine and no bay leaf. It is quite annoying if you bite into one. lol! Thanks for sharing feedback. 🙂
June
Hi Today I was searching for a vegan Bolognese recipe and in the search engine found your recipe. I did it just now and really like the recipe. I substituted red wine vinegar for the Red wine as I don't drink it. I also added some cooked green lentils as well as the walnuts. It is really delicious and will be a keeper. Thanks for sharing.
Melissa Huggins
Hi June, thank you for sharing your modifications and feedback. I'm so happy this recipe has become a favorite!
Lydia
Excellent!!!! Absolutely delicious! Thick, rich, and flavorful - soooo amazing..I'm glad I made a double batch so i can freeze lots of it.. It's at the top of my list of favorite Whole Food Plant Based meals. Thank you! It's definitely a keeper.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Lydia, your comment made my day! I'm so happy you loved the sauce. Thank you for trying it and leaving wonderful feedback. 🙂
Mariette Page-Green
Delicious!! I have made this at least 3 times
Melissa Huggins
I'm so glad you loved it, Mariette! Thank you for sharing feedback. 🙂
June
A real go to recipe for my husband and me. He loves pasta and as we are vegan,it can get a little difficult to find pasta sauces that taste as good as the meat version . However this sauce hits all the right buttons. Thank you
Melissa Huggins
Hi June, this is the best compliment! I'm happy you both love the sauce. Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing feedback. 🙂
Sonja
This was a great hit with the family. Even though we've been eating vegetarian and vegan for a while, the family didn't realise that this Bolognaise wasn't meat of even "fake" mince. Thanks for sharing. I'll be trying some of the other recipes.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Sonja, such a wonderful compliment! I'm glad everyone loved it. Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing feedback. 🙂
Robin Fischman
Holy cow, this was super yummy. I didn’t have red wine so I used a couple of dashes of red wine vinegar. My husband and I called this a restaurant quality dish. Thank you, I’m looking forward to making this again.
Melissa Huggins
Hi Robin, What a nice compliment! I'm so glad you both loved the recipe! Thank you for trying it and sharing feedback. 🙂
AJ
Thank you, this was really delicious. Being a long time vegan, I had a craving for a bolognese today and stumbled upon this recipe. The texture is way softer and less chewy than real meat or meat substitutes, but the flavour was spot on! Will be making again and recommend to others. Only shame was that I didn't make more spaghetti, then I'd have a third plate! 😉 <3
Melissa Huggins
So glad you loved it, AJ! Thanks for trying the it and sharing your wonderful feedback. 🙂
Teri
This was delicious. Even my husband loved it and he is normally quite meat obsessed. I made a few substitutions for things I didn't have - subbed a tin of lentils for the walnuts, subbed two tbsp cream cheese for nutritional yeast (obvs no longer vegan) and used red wine vinegar instead of red wine. This is a great recipe. Thank you!
Melissa Huggins
Hi Teri, I'm so happy it was a hit with your family! Thank you for trying it and sharing your modifications! 🙂