This meaty vegan Bolognese pasta sauce with hidden veggies is an easy, veggie-packed, and satisfying meal that the whole family will love! This recipe will satisfy your cravings for a meaty pasta sauce while sneaking in some vegetables too. It can also be made gluten-free and is packed with protein!
This veggie bolognese sauce makes the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal since it can be whipped up in about 20 minutes from start to finish. You can add or subtract any vegetables that you want in this recipe and it will still come out delicious every time.
Make it super easy and use store-bought vegan beef crumbles or you can use tofu, lentils, or TVP to replace the meat in traditional Bolognese.
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❤️ This recipe is
- the best vegan bolognese you'll ever eat!
- kid-friendly.
- packed with filling vegan protein.
- full of healthy veggies.
- can be gluten-free when served over gluten-free pasta
🍴 "Meat" replacements
Bolognese sauce is a red tomato pasta sauce traditionally made with meat. To make it vegan you can swap out the meat with a few things...
Vegan Ground Beef
You can use my homemade vegan ground beef recipe made with TVP, mushrooms, and seasoning to create an authentic-tasting beef substitute.
Vegan crumbles
This is the quickest and easiest way and probably the most authentic tasting. You can find them in the frozen vegetarian meat section of your local grocery store.
Tofu
You can simply take a block of extra firm tofu, press it to get out as much liquid as possible, and then crumble it into a bowl. Drizzle soy sauce and spice and then use as you would the vegan crumbles. See the full tofu bolognese recipe here.
Lentils
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1 1/2 cups of green lentils, and boil for 18 minutes. Drain and rinse and put into a large bowl. Pour 2 tbsp of soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos over the lentils and toss until coated. Then use them as you would the vegan crumbles. (This method makes it less processed and soy-free)!
TVP
Bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil, and add 3 tbsp. of soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos to the water and 1 1/2 cup of TVP. Stir and let the TVP soak up the liquid for about 5 minutes and then use it as you would the vegan crumbles. If you want to learn more about TVP check out my full guide to cooking with TVP.
🥦 Veggies
You can and any veggies that you like, but the ones that can chop up small work well. If you are feeding kids or a picky eater, use a food processor to chop them up very small and hide them completely.
My favorite veggies to add are:
- Onions
- Garlic
- Celery
- Bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower (You can use the bags of riced cauliflower too).
🥄 How to make vegan bolognese
Step 1 - Start by cooking your pasta of choice al dente according to the package directions. (I like to use penne, rigatoni, or bow-tie pasta. Use spaghetti noodles for spaghetti bolognese.)
Step 2 - While the pasta is cooking, chop up the veggies of your choice into very small pieces. (A food processor works great for this. Just wash the veggies and toss them in. Pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped).
Step 3 - Add a little oil to the bottom of a large skillet and saute diced onions for about 3-5 minutes until they become translucent.
Step 4 - Add the chopped veggies and saute over medium-low heat for about 5 more minutes until they are soft.
Step 5 - Put in the package of "beef crumbles or your choice of vegan “meat” and cook over medium-high heat for an additional 5 minutes.
Step 6 - Pour in a jar full of vegan pasta sauce (or 3 cups roasted tomato sauce or roasted red pepper sauce) and simmer on low until it's heated through.
Step 7 - Season with salt and pepper and some chopped parsley or fresh basil. Add a dash of red pepper flakes for a little heat if desired.
Step 8 - Serve hot over your choice of pasta and enjoy or use it in vegan lasagna, baked ziti, vegan ravioli, zucchini lasagna, vegan stuffed peppers, or even as a hearty sauce for vegan stuffed shells.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- You can use about 3-4 cups of any finely chopped veggies that you like in the sauce. It doesn't have to be exact.
- Chop the veggies up very small to hide them in the sauce for your picky eaters. You can cook the veggies a little longer to make them softer and less detectable too.
🍞 Gluten-free instructions
The bolognese sauce will be gluten-free if you use a gluten-free meat substitute like Beyond Beef Crumbles. The options for using my vegan ground beef recipe, lentils, TVP, and tofu are also gluten-free as long as you use a gluten-free soy sauce.
Tip for using gluten-free pasta: Make sure to boil GF pasta in slightly more water than you would boil wheat pasta. Drain it in a colander and rinse well until the water runs clear.
You can top your vegan Bolognese with some homemade vegan Parmesan cheese too!
🥡 Storing and freezing
You can definitely make this pasta sauce ahead of time. It's one of those sauces that just tastes better after the flavors have time to blend.
It will keep well for up to 5 days in the fridge or you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
To store in the fridge- seal it in an airtight container.
For freezing - leave a little room for expansion and cover tightly. Or use a tightly sealed zippered freezer bag.
Reheating - defrost and prepare it on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring every 15 to 20 seconds until hot.
🍝 More vegan pasta sauces
Check out all of the vegan pasta recipes on the blog. These are a few of our favorites.
- Vegan Vodka Sauce
- Oven Roasted Marinara Sauce
- Simple Vegan Tomato Basil Pasta
- Creamy Vegan Pesto Pasta
- Vegan Pumpkin Pasta
- Vegan Pasta Salad - Mediterranean Style
- Tofu Pasta Sauce
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan bolognese recipe
Vegan Bolognese
Equipment
- A food processor is helpful.
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta of choice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1 medium carrot
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 oz. bag vegan crumbles (like beyond meat) or see "meat" options below
- 1 26 oz. jar pasta sauce
Optional "Meat" Substitutes: (Choose 1 of the following if not using store-bought crumbles)
- 1 1/2 cup green lentils
- 1 14 oz package extra firm tofu
- 1 1/2 cup TVP
- 2 cups vegan ground beef
Instructions
- Start by cooking your pasta of choice according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop up veggies of choice into very small pieces. (A food processor works great for this. Just wash the veggies and toss them in. Pulse a few times until everything is finely chopped).
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the bottom of a large skillet and saute diced onions for about 3-5 minutes until they become translucent.
- Add the chopped veggies, sprinkle with salt, and saute over medium-low heat for about 5 more minutes until they are soft.
- Put in the package of "beef crumbles or your choice of vegan “meat” and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Pour in a jar full of vegan pasta sauce and simmer on low until it's heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper and some chopped parsley or fresh basil. Add a dash of red pepper flakes for a little heat if desired.
- Serve over pasta or in your favorite Italian dishes.
Notes
- You can use about 3-4 cups of any finely chopped veggies that you like in the sauce. It doesn't have to be exact.
- Chop the veggies up very small to hide them in the sauce for your picky eaters. You can cook the veggies a little longer to make them softer and less detectable too.
- Vegan Ground Beef - you can use my homemade vegan ground beef recipe made with TVP, mushrooms, and seasoning to create an authentic tasting beef substitute.
- Tofu - You can simply take a block of extra firm tofu, press it to get out as much liquid as possible, and then crumble it into a bowl. Drizzle 2 TBS of soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos over the tofu and then use as you would the vegan crumbles.
- Lentils - Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1 1/2 cups of green lentils and boil for 18 minutes. Drain, rinse and put into a large bowl. Pour 2 tbsp of soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos over the lentils and toss until coated. Then use as you would the vegan crumbles. (This method makes it less processed and soy-free)!
- TVP - Bring 3/4 cup of water to a boil, add 3 tbsp. of soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos to the water and 1 1/2 cup of TVP. Stir and let the TVP soak up the liquid for about 5 minutes, then use as you would the vegan crumbles.
Nutrition
*This recipe was originally posted on 8/26/2018. It was updated on 9/9/20 to include new images and more detailed instructions.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
The whole family loved it! Thanks!
I'm so happy to hear this Brenda! Enjoy! 🙂