Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese – the most popular classic pasta dish, and even in the vegan version this recipe is easy & quick to make and always delicious. So it’s time to share this recipe on my blog.
My favorite vegan spaghetti bolognese
Since my childhood spaghetti bolognese has always been one of my favorite dishes ever. Whenever my mother or grandmother asked me what dish I wanted to eat, it was almost always spaghetti. Either with the classic bolognese sauce or with a creamy carbonara. But even with a simple ‘tomato sauce‘, I was always very satisfied.
Vegan and delicious!
From time to time, I’ve “veganized” almost every pasta dish, because I think they taste great even without meat and dairy products. Instead of the carbonara sauce made of conventional cream, I now prefer serving my vegan ‘Mac and Cheese‘, which is mainly made from potatoes or I serve a creamy vegan ‘mushroom sauce‘ which is made from white beans. But also my beloved ‘avocado pasta‘ is on my menu at least once a week. It‘s hard to believe that I couldn‘t do anything with avocados some time ago. With this example you can really see how preferences or tastes can change over the time. So my tip to you: “Tasting is about studying!” So at least I wouldn‘t say that I definitely and never will like a food or dish.
Ingredients for vegan spaghetti bolognese
Back to the dish: fruity sun-ripened tomatoes are definitely part of an aromatic and tasty bolognese. For the sauce I prefer to mix tomato passata and sliced tomatoes from the glass in organic quality, but you can also prepare the sauce completely from fresh tomatoes (depending on the season). Onions, garlic, (optional soup vegetables), good olive oil and Italian spices provide the perfect flavour. Many people often think that sugar is bad, but in my opinion, the sweet taste is just necessary for a perfect sauce. And if you use a good organic raw cane sugar, then you don‘t need to have a guilty conscience. Especially since the required amount isn‘t much as I see a lot of truth in the quote “Balance is key”! Otherwise, you can of course just leave out the sugar.
With or without tofu / soy – both options are possible!
As a ‘meat alternative’, I usually use normal natural tofu or soy granules / soybean shred. If you don‘t like or tolerate tofu or soy, you can also use lupine granules, seitan, green spelt grain or any other vegetable products. Meanwhile, there are already many vegan alternatives available in the supermarkets and I have already tried different variants. Just be creative and try out what you like the most!
Recipe Video
If you try this easy vegan bolognese recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a photo of your pasta dish and share it on Instagram or Facebook, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I would love to see your result! Bon appetit! 🙂
The Best Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese
Author: Bianca Zapatka
Spaghetti Bolognese is the most popular classic pasta dish, and even in the vegan version this recipe is easy & quick to make and always delicious! This vegan pasta recipe is truly the best so please give it a try!
Peel onion, garlic, carrots and celery and cut into thin cubes.
Squeeze the tofu (this works best when using kitchen paper), then crumble into very small pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan or skillet and cook the tofu until crisp and golden brown.
Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until the onions are translucent.
Then add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
Now add the vegetable broth, tomato paste and tomatoes and stir to combine.
Season the sauce with salt, pepper, Italian herbs and sugar to taste and simmer for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until the sauce is well-thickened. (Add more vegetable broth, if needed).
In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in salted water until 'al dente'. Then drain.
Serve the spaghetti with the vegan bolognese sauce and garnish as desired with nutritional yeast flakes and fresh basil.
Enjoy!
Notes
Instead of tofu you can also use soy granules / soybean shreds, lupine granules, seitan, green spelt, or any other 'minced meat alternative'.
Optionally, you can make the sauce completely from about 1 kg of fresh tomatoes.
Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.
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Meat Substitute - I've been using soya protein for this recipe. But you can make it with other meat substitutions such as tofu, mushroom or lentils. Check out my lentil bolognese recipe here. Herbs - If you don't have the same herbs I've been using, add some mixed or Italian seasonings to the sauce.
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.
The key difference here is that bolognese sauce contains meat of some sort – beef, veal or pork are the most popular options. It just so happens that beef is the most popular choice in Italy (and your favourite Italian restaurant Sydney).
"A splash of whole milk sounds odd but is authentic, and actually does make it taste better." "Brown sugar, tomato ketchup, porcini." "I have a friend who has been adding a cup of freshly-brewed coffee to a big batch of Bolognese sauce and she swears by it!" "I add a teaspoon of Marmite to mine."
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.
Milk is a magical ingredient when it comes to bolognese. First, the lactic acid and calcium in milk help to tenderize the meat. More than that, though, milk balances the wine and tomato, creates a creamier texture and adds richness (similar to how butter or yogurt add more richness and flavor to dishes).
Leeks are a great alternative if you like the texture celery brings but aren't a fan of the flavor. For this swap, use one large leek per two stalks of celery in a recipe. Reduce the onion by half to account for the added flavor from the leeks.
Along with garlic, toss some other vegetables, such as diced onions, chopped peppers and chopped carrots into your skillet. While these ingredients will go nicely with most sauces, you can get more creative with your veggies and add a handful of spinach, strips of kale, chopped zucchini or cubed eggplant.
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.
Even though both are considered meat sauces and are thusly chunky, ragù is more like a thick tomato sauce with recognizable bits of ground beef within it. Bolognese, though, is creamier and thicker because it is made with milk. It is not considered to be a tomato sauce.
Milk. Adding milk to Bolognese is actually a part of the traditional method. Not only does dairy make sauces silkier and richer, but it also makes the meat more tender. We add milk to our mixture a whole hour after simmering our Bolognese, and then allow it to simmer for a further 45 minutes.
No, Bolognese is a meat sauce by definition. There are lots of similar sauces that don't include meat, though, like Marinara. If you Google “vegetarian Bolognese” there are some recipes for **similar** sauces without meat, but technically it's not Bolognese if it doesn't have meat in it.
Simply add all your favourite dried fruits alongside a balance of your favourite nuts and make it your very own best mincemeat recipe. Subs might include dried figs, dates, prunes, pear and perhaps goji berries. You could even go mango, citrus peel, pineapple, peaches and blackcurrants…
Like beef broth, chicken broth is a kitchen staple and makes a good substitute if you are all out of the meaty broth. This savory, salty liquid has a milder flavor than beef broth but is a good one-to-one replacement. Chicken broth also has a similar nutrition profile to beef broth, low in calories and high in sodium.
Q1: What is the distinction between traditional and American Bolognese? A1: While some of the ingredients in bolognese are similar to those in American-style spaghetti meat sauce, authentic bolognese is thicker, has milk added (which is delicious), and uses far less tomato.
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