Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese (easy recipe) (2024)

FAQs

What is vegan bolognese made of? ›

Just like my Vegan Caramelized Onion Pasta and Italian White Bean and Pasta Stew, this healthy vegan bolognese requires a short list of ingredients but yields big, gourmet flavors. A mix of red lentils and walnuts add a rich body while tomato paste and canned tomatoes load it with umami, just like the Italian classic.

Cauliflower and walnuts are the stars of the bolognese sauce. When cooked and pulsed together, they create a crumbly, meat-like texture that is both delicious and satisfying. Olive oil, onion, and garlic are the aromatic base of the sauce.

Spaghetti sauce often uses canned tomatoes as opposed to fresh ones, so the taste isn't quite as bright and fresh as bolognese, which makes use of chopped up fresh vegetables rather than sauces from a jar or tin.

Traditional spaghetti bolognese often uses beef and pork mince and pancetta. You might also find it with finely chopped celery (that go in with the carrots) and milk in it too. A traditional version is often also cooked for a lot longer (2-3 hours).

Bolognese sauce is a classic Italian sauce for pasta made with ground meat such as beef or pork. It's slow cooked with a soffritto of onions, carrots, and celery, tomatoes, and milk to give it a creamy texture. Pronounced "bow-luh-nez," the sauce comes from the Bologna region of Italy, hence the name.

Just add seasoning and the flavour will be completely different from what you're used to. You can add various herbs, too. Try a teaspoon of dried Italian mixed herbs (added at the start) or a tablespoon of fresh, chopped oregano (added towards the end) in the meat sauce.

2. Next, add the staples that no good Bolognese is without. "Finely chopped carrots, celery and onions. I know it doesn't sound like it, but these are the things that give proper depth of flavour."

According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”. She adds: “It also makes the mince meat nice and tender, creating that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.”

Textured vegetable protein, also known as TVP, is a meat-free protein source made from defatted soy flour that can be bought at health food stores or online. It's a shelf stable ingredient that's available in a minced shape, which when rehydrated is eerily similar to the texture of ground beef.

Whereas true Bolognese is just as much about the aromatic base of vegetables as it is the meat, Italian-American versions are very meat-heavy (and often use red wine) and more reminiscent of southern Italian dishes.

Does bolognese have garlic or no? ›

A note on garlic: Classic Bolognese sauce does not contain garlic. In many Italian pasta recipe, the garlic debate rages on—some like to use it, some don't and say it's blasphemy to do so. Me? I do add garlic to my Bolognese because I think it adds an extra flavor dimension I really enjoy.

In Bologna ragù is traditionally paired and served with tagliatelle made with eggs and northern Italy's soft wheat flour. Acceptable alternatives to fresh tagliatelle include other broad flat pasta shapes, such as pappardelle or fettuccine, and tube shapes, such as rigatoni and penne.

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

You could forgo the crushed altogether and just go with the diced tomatoes, and tomato paste. Make the sauce the way you like it, you're the one cooking ! Bolognaise is my favorite of the red sauces, and I do nothing usual in my recipe. I use just ground hot Italian sausage meat, in lieu of ground beef/pork.

Soy protein isolates or soybean flour and gluten are usually used as foundation for most meat substitutes that are available on the market. Soy protein isolate is a highly pure form of soy protein with a minimum protein content of 90%.

The plant-based burgers and sausages found on supermarket shelves are made by extracting the protein from plant foods, often pea, soy, wheat protein, and mushrooms. But a myriad of additives are needed to make these products look and taste like traditional meat.

Soy protein

Soy is most commonly sold as mince, cutlets, or balls. As with tofu, marinades and spice mixtures can be added to produce virtually any aroma or flavor. This makes soy ideal for vegetarian burgers, meatballs, cutlets, bolognese sauce, or chilli sin carne.

A meat substitute, also called a meat analogue, approximates certain aesthetic qualities (primarily texture, flavor and appearance) or chemical characteristics of a specific meat. Substitutes are often based on soybeans (such as tofu and tempeh), gluten, or peas.