Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 900 g spaghetti approx 1 package
Sautéed Mushrooms
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups mini bella, portobello or cremini mushrooms
Sauce
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 1 tbs salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 28 oz can whole san marzano tomatoes can sub with other type of whole tomato
- 1 16 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 cup rehydrated TVP
- 1 cube beef flavoured stock chicken flavoured would work as well
Instructions
Sauce
- Thinly slice the onion. Sauté it in a large sauce pot with the olive oil on medium heat until translucent. Add in the garlic, and sauté them until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
- Add n the salt and sugar and mix in well. Add in the tomato paste and mix well again.
- Add in the tomato cans, raise heat to medium high to bring it to a simmer. Lower heat to medium low and allow to simmer for up to 2 hours. The longer you can, the better it will taste.
Sautéed Mushrooms
- In a frying pan add in the 1 tbs of olive oil and salt. Slice the mushrooms and add in to the pan.
- Mixing every few minutes, allow to sauté until the mushrooms darken to a deep brown, but not burnt.
- Add into the sauce while it is still sautéing.
TVP
- While the sauce is cooking you can prepare the TVP to add at the end. Add the TVP to a heat-safe bowl.
- Boil enough water to just cover the TVP. Add in the Hot water and one cube of beef-flavoured stock. Mix in to ensure that the stock is evenly combined. Let sit until the TVP has absorbed all the stock and water. It should be slightly undercooked, so that it can absorb some of the sauce flavour as well.
Serving
- After the sauce has sautéed for the 2 hours start to cook the pasta in salted water, according to package directions.
- Add the TVP in and allow to simmer with the sauce as the pasta is cooking.
- Once cooked, drain and add to the sauce. Mix together well and serve! You can top it with some fresh parmesan or other hard cheese as well as crushed red pepper, black pepper and/or fresh basil!
Growing up in an Italian household meant eating pasta most nights of the week. At least once a week my Nonna would make a spaghetti bolognese with meats that she had spent the days before braising and stewing to perfection. The resulting sauce was always both rich and light at the same time. This vegetarian spaghetti bolognese is an homage to her.
Although I no longer eat meat, I still long for that sauce at times. I created this recipe to try to emulate the same depth of flavour from my childhood, but meat free. This veggie spaghetti bolognese is full of flavour and is great for dinner, any night of the week.
The sauce benefits from time. The longer that you are able to cook down the sauce, the deeper and richer the flavours will be. If you are short on time, it will still taste great, but may be missing flavours that appear over time.
Instant Pot Version of Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese
If you are short on time, but have an instant pot, you’re in luck! The sauce gains a similar flavour when cookedfor 15 minutes on high pressure and released. I recommend cooking the pasta separately. I have never had much luck cooking pasta in an instant pot and having it come out right.
Variations and Alterations
If you enjoy some heat, add in 1tsp (or more!) or crushed red pepper flakes into the sauce. For some extra umami flavour add in 1 tbsp mushroom powder. It doesn’t taste as much of mushrooms more so that it adds an extra layer of depth. It can be difficult to find, so feel free to leave it out. Alternatively you can make your own by blending some dried mushrooms (such as porcini or portobello) in a high speed blender or spice grinder. It will last in a sealed jar for around a month depending on the humidity and seal.
This recipe is also one that is great to dehydrate and take camping or backpacking. Once the sauce is cooked, lay it onto a mat cover (one without any holes) of a dehydrator and dehydrate for 6-12 hours at 150°F (66°C), or until dried. The time will depend on your dehydrator and the humidity where you are. Check out more about dehydrating meals here!
Overall this pasta has become a weekly go-to for me, and I hope it does for you too!
If you try this recipe out, let us know. We would love to see any photos you take of this recipe! Tag us @easyveggie.recipes on Instagram or comment down below!
