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.
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.
Victoria
I'm new to Vegan cooking and my husband still loves meat but we both ate this meal without missing the meat. It has a lovely dense texture and great flavor -- so happy to have found your website and this recipe!! Another thing, I had every ingredient called for already in the house so it was a great find convenience-wise as well!
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Victoria! We are so happy to hear that you both loved the recipe and found it convenient to make! Thanks for giving it a try 🙂
Paul C
Wow...I am a big Bolognese fan - It is one of my go-to recipe's (meat and pork)...we are just new to Vegan and decided to try your take on Bolognese - honestly, couldn't tell the difference (except that after eating, felt a whole bunch better than after a meat based meal). I didn't have the marmite - here in Canada, one of our grocers just introduced Beef(less) plant based broth - used that instead of the vegetable broth...the meal was crazy good...I plan to serve on my meat friends without telling them...thank you for contributing to a better world.
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Paul, thank you for such a lovely review! It made our day to hear how much you loved the recipe 🙂 Thanks so much for giving it a try and welcome to the vegan life!
Laura
I just have to leave a comment because this recipe is FANTASTIC!! I was so surprised how flavorful it was, just like the real Bolognese I grew up eating. My 6 year old loved it too! We will definitely be remaking this!
Laura
Meant to ask, could I freeze this?
Melissa Huggins
Yes, you can freeze it. The mushroom texture will change slightly but it's still really good. Just reheat on medium-low to a mild simmer until heated throughout. Add a splash of vegetable broth if it's too thick, or cook it down longer if it's too thin. 🙂
Melissa Huggins
Hi Laura, this is the nicest compliment! I'm so glad you liked it and it went over well with the little one, too. Thanks for sharing your feedback. 🙂
Jade
This recipe turned out delicious! I used Lea and Perrins instead of tamari and probably closer to a cup of red wine, which added loads of flavour. I'll be making this one again! Thanks
Support @ Vegan Huggs
Hi Jade! We are so happy to hear that you loved it and will be making it again! Thanks for giving it a try 🙂