Best Spaghetti Bolognese (plant-based)
Easy, yummy, plant-based and healthy – this vegan spaghetti bolognese recipe has it all. The vegan version of the Italian classic has a rich flavor as the pasta sauce simmers for over an hour, and also, the red wine is a key ingredient. The chopped tofu also gives the bolognese a meaty texture. A lot of my friends and family who are regular meat eaters find this bolognese to be absolutely yummy, and I have been asked to cook it again many times over.
You can serve the spaghetti sauce with cooked pasta as a family dinner, make it just for yourself, and it is also a perfect meal for camping trips. This is it! The plant-based/vegan spaghetti bolognese recipe that you will probably be making a loooot of.
If you have leftovers, let the sauce cool down in room temperature and add it to an airtight container. You can store the sauce in the refrigerator to enjoy it the next days or freeze it for a later meal.
It`s prep-able! You can prepare your bolognese ahead of time
This bolognese sauce recipe is perfectly made for meal prep. Making the bolognese sauce ahead of time is a great way to enjoy a stress-free time before dinner – all you have to do is heat up the sauce you`ve already made and cook the pasta. You can also make a bigger batch and add it to a freezer-safe container and freeze it so that you have a meal ready for a later hectic day.
This sauce is also perfect to bring along on camping trips. Me and my boyfriend love off-roading and camping in nature and I have packed a large glass jar of this sauce and dry pasta for our trips many times.
I hope you feel inspired and ready to cook this the next time you are cooking up a delicious tomato sauce. If you cook it I would love to hear from you! Please write a comment to let me know what you thought of it. If you snap a picture, tag me on instagram @by.linaelisabeth – I look forward to seeing your dish!
Best Spaghetti Bolognese
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions
- 4 cloves garlic
- 400 g firm tofu
- 2 medium carrots
- 5 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika powder
- 200 ml red wine
- 2 tbsp vegetable broth mixed in 300 ml boiling water
- 800 g sieved tomatoes (passata)
- 50 ml soy sauce
- 100 ml oat milk barista edition
- 1/2 lemon
- 4 handfuls fresh basil chopped (you can set aside a few leaves for garnishing)
- olive oil
- Pepper ground black pepper
- Spaghetti of your choice
Instructions
- Start by prepping the ingrediens. This makes the actual cooking process much easier as everything is ready when you turn on your stove. Finely chop the yellow onions, garlic and tofu. Chop the carrots into small pieces. Measure up the wine, vegetable broth in boiling water and soy sauce before you start cooking.
- Add a pinch of olive oil to a pan and turn the heat on. Once at medium heat, add the finely chopped tofu and fry it until golden. This can take about 15-20 minutes.
- Take a large pot, add a pinch of olive oil and bring it to medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic and saute until soft.
- Add the fried tofu and carrots to the casserole with the onions and garlic, and let it fry together for another two minutes.The tofu and the carrots are what gives the sause its “meaty texture”. Make sure to fry the tofu in the pan until golden before adding it to your pot with the other ingredients. This gives the tofu an even more firm texture.
- Add in the tomato paste and sweet paprika powder and fry for another two minutes. This gives your sauce an extra roasted flavor.
- Make sure the caserole with the ingredients is hot and add the red wine and let it reduce for approximately 1-2 minutes. When you add the red wine you will hear a simmer as it starts to reduce.
- Add the veggie broth, the sieved tomatoes and soy sauce.
- Let your sauce simmer on medium to low heat for 60 minutes (you should see a few gentle bubbles). Stir it about every 25 minutes. This process adds a delicious depth of flavor. While it is simmering, chop the basil (set a few leaves aside for garnishing) and juice the lemon so it is ready for later.
- Add the oat milk, chopped basil, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Let it simmer on medium-low heat for another 15 minutes. Pepper to taste. I prefer using fresh ground black pepper. You can also add a pinch of salt if you want, I don`t find that the sauce needs it so I leave it out. And boil the pasta during this final step – it should be a little al dente.For the oat milk always use the barista edition, I feel that it adds a more round flavor. If you do not have an oat milk barista edition at hand you can also use regular oat milk or soy milk as a substitiute.I go for spaghetti – as it is after all “spaghetti bolognese”. If you want to go for a healthy option you can use zucchini noodles, pasta based on chickpeas or lentils, or a wholewheat version.
- Taste the sauce. If you want it to be a bit milder you can add a little bit more oat milk and let it simmer for another five minutes.
- If you want you can also sprinkle a little nutritional yeast over your bolognese once it`s plated. It gives that extra hint of cheesy flavor. A good idea is to place a small bowl with nutritional yeast on the table so that everyone can have some if they want.
