This recipe can’t be placed in the “simple, quick and just a few ingredients” category. I wanted to create a complex flavour for this dish that wouldn’t fall flat. This requires a variety of ingredients and a long cooking time in order for the ingredients to get infused with all that flavour. So if you’re ready for a more elaborate recipe and have about two hours to spare, I promise you won’t regret making it.
As far as comfort food goes it doesn’t get any better than this ultimate vegan bolognese. I’m using walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, plain firm tofu, brown or green lentils (don’t use red lentils) and soya mince for the meat substitute. My favourite type of pasta is tagliatelle and it fits perfectly here.
More delicious pasta recipes:
Vegan Pasta Bolognese (GF Option)
This ultimate vegan bolognese sauce is full of incredible flavour. Made with walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, tofu, lentils and soya mince as a meat substitute. The long cooking ensures that the ingredients are deeply infused with flavour and the effort put in is worth it.
Ingredients
- 20 ml (4 tsp) olive oil
- heaped 1/3 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 (35g) carrot
- 1/2 (35g) celery stalk
- 20 g walnuts
- 4 pieces (30g) sun-dried tomatoes
- 100 g plain firm tofu
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) vegan red wine I used Chianti Classico by Cecchi 2018
- 1 large or 2 small leaves fresh sage
- 1/2 tbsp fresh oregano
- 2 sprigs (1/2 tsp leaves) fresh thyme
- 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
- 1 can (400g) peeled crushed or diced tomatoes
- heaped 1/3 tsp salt or to taste
- 40 g brown or green lentils
- 30 g soya mince
- water as needed
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 5 ml (1 tsp) soy sauce gluten free if needed
- 1/2 tsp molasses or blackstrap molasses
- 30 g plant based cooking cream I used Valsoia soy based cooking cream
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast I used fortified with B12
- 2 leaves fresh basil
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- a pinch of black pepper
- 300 g vegan pasta of choice gluten free if needed
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients before starting to cook. Chop carrot and celery into small pieces. Crush walnuts and tofu with a back of a fork. Chop sun-dried tomatoes in small pieces. Chop oregano, rosemary and sage.
- Heat olive oil in a pot and toast cayenne pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add carrot and celery. Mix and toast for a few seconds.
- Add walnuts and sun-dried tomatoes. Mix and toast for a few seconds.
- Add tofu, mix and add wine when tofu starts to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Mix and cook for a few minutes on high until the wine evaporates.
- Reduce the heat again to medium and add sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary. Mix together.
- Add tomatoes. Mix and cook until the sauce is warm again.
- Add salt and mix.
- Add lentils and soya mince. Mix together.
- Add water (I added 240 ml (1 cup)). Put the heat to high and bring to a boil then turn to low and cook 1 hour and 20 minutes. Check often during that time and add water as needed. Every time you add cold water make sure to increase the heat until the sauce starts boiling then lower the heat again. I added additional 120 ml (1/2 cup) after 20 minutes of cooking, 120 ml (1/2 cup) after 40 minutes of cooking and 120 ml (1/2 cup) after 1h of cooking. Be careful the last time you add water, add just enough so that the sauce is not too thick but also not too watery. If the sauce is too watery just cook a little bit longer before adding the rest of ingredients in the last 10 min of cooking. Have in mind that by adding the rest of ingredients in the last 10 min of cooking will make the sauce also a little bit more thick.
- After 1h 20 min of cooking add smoked paprika, soy sauce and molasses. Mix together and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Add plant based cooking cream, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, chopped basil, nutmeg and black pepper. Mix together and cook for 1-2 minutes, then turn the heat off.
- 20 minutes before the cooking of bolognese is done heat a large pot with 3L of water on the stove. Wait for it to boil then add 1 tbsp of salt and pasta (I used tagliatelle). Bring to boil again then turn to medium heat and cook as per instructions on the pasta box.
- Drain the water from the pasta then put pasta back to the pot together with bolognese sauce. Mix together.
- Divide between 3 plates and serve immediately.
Notes
*1h and 30 min of cooking is enough to get an intense flavour that you will enjoy. If you wish you can cook it longer (and adding additional water as needed in that time) for even more intense flavour. I tried cooking it for 5 hours in total and while the flavour was more intense than cooking just 1h 30 min, for me there wasn’t enough of a difference that would justify this even lengthier cooking time.
*Use any leftovers of vegan bolognese sauce as a topping for teff or amarant polenta.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 686kcalCarbohydrates: 95gProtein: 29gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 608mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9g
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