It’s delicious, it’s easy and you won’t miss the meat in this vegan spaghetti bolognese. Instead of minced meat I’ve used mushrooms and lentils instead. It’s definitely not the same as a traditional spaghetti, but also really delicious!

Vegan spaghetti bolognese

Vegan spaghetti bolognese

In case you haven’t noticed; I do not eat vegan at all, but I do like to limit my intake of meat to once or twice a week. I don’t always succeed in that, but with dishes like this vegan spaghetti bolognese it’s certainly easy to skip the meat. 

Now in all fairness, this should probably not be called a spaghetti bolognese but it has a spaghetti sauce that is roughly similar to the original version in taste. Apologies for all the Italians out there. It’s the name for lack of a better word.

Lentils are used quite a lot to replace ground meat in many dishes. It’s something about the meaty texture of lentils I guess that does the trick. Plus it’s a great source of plant based protein. I normally like to make my bolognese meat sauce in the slow cooker but since that is not a good idea with lentils this is also way quicker. Since it’s a vegan recipe you obviously do not use parmesan cheese but you can use vegan parmesan cheese if you want. I have to be honest here; while it tastes good it is not the real thing. But if you’re not interested in vegan but only in vegetarian you can still use regular parmesan. Just saying.

How to make the vegan bolognese recipe

Making this hearty bolognese sauce is super simple. You take a large skillet and start by heating a bit of olive oil. Add onion, garlic and the mushrooms and bake until golden brown before adding the tomato puree and the crushed tomatoes to the pan. You add the tin of lentils and that’s basically the sauce done.

Vegan spaghetti bolognese in a bowl

For the pasta you have to make sure it is not an egg based pasta so check the instructions on the package. I went with a lentil spaghetti which is slightly stiffer than regular spaghetti but it’s a gluten-free pasta and tastes quite good. You cook the pasta al dente in a large pan of salted water and toss it through the sauce. While you would normally save some of the pasta cooking water you don’t have to do that with gluten free pasta as the result is not the same. 

Using the cooking water makes for a rich sauce that is more creamy due to the starches in the water. Obviously you need the gluten 

Serve the vegan spaghetti bolognese with fresh basil, parsley (or other fresh herbs) and roasted pine nuts. Finish with some black pepper over the top.

Additions and variations

Now as you can tell this is a really quick recipe with simple ingredients and it doesn’t use a lot of liquid. If you want you can add a bit of red wine to give it more of a traditional feeling. You can also add some fresh tomatoes to the sauce as well. If you can’t be bothered to make your own vegan parmesan cheese you can also use nutritional yeast and just sprinkle that over the dish. A little splash of balsamic vinegar is also delicious for a little hint of sweetness.

You can spice things up a bit by adding some red pepper flakes to the pasta sauce as well. 

Check the full recipe in the recipe card and I would greatly appreciate a star rating if you’ve made it!

Vegan spaghetti bolognese in a bowl

Vegan spaghetti bolognese

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GangMain
KeukenItalian

You won't miss the meat in this delicious vegan spaghetti bolognese
Prep time 10 minutes
Cooking time 15 minutes
Total time 25 minutes

2 people

Ingredients

  • 1 onion chopped finely
  • 2 cloves garlic chopped
  • 200 gr mixed mushroom sliced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp dried basil
  • 1 can tomato cubes
  • 200 g lentils rinsed and drained
  • 150 gr lentil spaghetti or regular spaghetti
  • handfull of pine nuts roasted
  • fresh parsley to serve
  • olive oil for baking

Titel

  • Prepare the spaghetti according to the package instructions.
  • Place a large frying pan on medium heat and put some olive oil in. Bake the onion until soft. Add the garlic and the mushrooms and bake until done.
  • Add the tomato paste, the herbs and the tomato cubes and bake this along with the rest. Add the tin of lentils and heat it through.
  • Serve the spaghetti with the pine nuts and the fresh parsley

Nutrition Information per portion

Calories: 697kcal | Carbohydrates: 133g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 188mg | Potassium: 1599mg | Fiber: 38g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 343IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 12mg

Disclaimer

The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @insimoneskitchen_ or tag #insimoneskitchen!

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Simone van den Berg

Food blogger from the Netherlands. Loves good food. Likes to create healthy and easy recipes for daily use, but also loves the occasional sweet dish. Lives in the Netherlands with her two cats; Humphrey and Buffy. Profession: Food photographer, food blogger, recipe developer and nutritionist