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Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce (Made with Mushrooms)

Craving spaghetti? Go for an easy Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce made with easy-to-find, affordable mushrooms. It’s packed with flavor and loaded with plant-based ingredients including bell pepper, onion, walnuts, and spices

Pasta with vegetarian bolognese sauce topped with cilantro.
by Aly Michell Dated: May 6, 2022 Last Modified: August 28, 2023 13 Comments
281 shares
(This post may have affiliate links. Please see my disclosure.)
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  • Why You’ll Love This 
  • Ingredients & Substitutions 
  • What To Eat With Bolognese Sauce 
  • Recipe FAQs
  • How To Store
  • Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce (Made with Mushrooms)

There’s nothing better than a bowl of spaghetti and a vegetarian bolognese sauce at the end of a hungry day!

One of our dinner-friendly staples in our household, like many, is pasta. It’s typically easy to make and does not take much time to make. This vegan bolognese with mushrooms recipe is a time-savor and a crowd-pleaser. 

Why You’ll Love This 

  • We’re going with pantry-friendly, affordable, easy-to-find ingredients! We won’t be having you go on a hunt for rare or special ingredients. The goal is to make something delicious with what we can find. 
  • It’s the perfect addition to your choice of pasta (gluten-free totally allowed). 
  • Done in just 30 MINUTES! Making this recipe the perfect weekday dish, that’s also kid-friendly and delicious. 
  • This recipe is meatless, gluten-free, and plant-based.  

Essentially, this vegetarian bolognese sauce is AMAZING as a quick and easy dinner comfort food.

For more vegetarian pasta-related recipes:  

  • Creamy Chickpea Pasta with Spinach
  • Vegan Puerto Rican Spaghetti
  • Spaghetti Sauce with Real Tomatoes
  • Creamy Rigatoni with Sofrito Avocado Sauce. 

Ingredients & Substitutions 

Ingredients for vegetarian bolognese.
  • Pasta Sauce - Go for your favorite pasta/spaghetti red sauce! Or, make your own sauce with real tomatoes. 
  • Common Mushrooms - We’re using common mushrooms because they are affordable and easy to find. They can either be brown or white mushrooms. Mushroom caps work well, too!
  • Sweet Onion - Other onions that can be used include white, red, or sweet. 
  • Red Bell Pepper - Red bell peppers bring some sweetness and color to this vegetarian bolognese sauce. 
  • Garlic - Fresh garlic is best! But if you don’t have fresh garlic, simply omit it. We have garlic powder in this recipe, too. Feel free to add more. 
  • Walnuts - Providing texture and healthy fats, walnuts are a great addition to your meatless bolognese sauce! It's a must-have in this recipe. 
  • Tomato Paste - Adding thickness and umami to this sauce! 
  • Italian Seasonings - dried basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and parsley can also be used separately. Check out this homemade Italian seasoning. 
  • Garlic Powder - Add as much or as little as you like! 
  • Fennel Seeds - One of my favorite ingredients to give this sauce incredible flavor! 
  • Sugar - Sugar, white or brown, will help any bitterness from the spaghetti sauce. If your sauce already has sugar in it, you don’t need the sugar. Unless, of course, you’d like to add more. 
  • Olive Oil 

What To Eat With Bolognese Sauce 

This bolognese sauce doesn’t have to be just used with spaghetti. The list is long for what you can do with this sauce. 

This can be used as a “meat” filling for lasagna or Shepherd’s pie. It can be used for a savory pie. Top off your baked potatoes and rice with this protein-packed side. 

If you’re looking to use leftovers for breakfast, add the sauce to toast. 

Gluten-free? Go for gluten-free pasta. Or, use spaghetti squash or zucchini zoodles.  

Recipe FAQs

How To Make Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce 

  1. Cook the onion, mushroom, bell pepper, and fennel seeds until tender. Then add and cook crushed garlic for 30 seconds.
  2. Add tomato paste, pasta sauce, mushroom broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and walnuts.
  3. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 15 minutes with a lid. Remove the lid and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.

Full recipe below! 

What’s the difference between bolognese and meat sauce 

Traditional Italian bolognese is a meat-focused sauce with just a small touch of tomato paste/sauce. It’s also made with a sofrito mixed (minced vegetables including onion, celery, carrot, and sometimes garlic). 

The sauce may also include cream or milk, along with a broth and/or wine to simmer in. Additionally, the sauce will be served with a flat pasta like pappardelle or fettuccine.

A meat sauce is a lot more flexible and forgiving in its recipe. There are many ways to prepare this dish - depending on what you enjoy. American meat sauce is often made with quite a bit of tomato sauce or paste and milk are not often seen in the recipe. 

This vegetarian “meat” bolognese sauce takes an unauthentic and non-traditional approach in its ingredients and pasta combination. Even then, it’s still delicious!

Is bolognese sauce vegetarian

Traditional bolognese sauce is meat-based. However, this bolognese sauce is 100% vegetarian AND vegan! We’re only using plant-based ingredients here. No meat, dairy, or animal products are used here. 

How To Store

This vegetarian bolognese sauce may be stored for leftovers! 

Store the soup in an airtight container or reusable silicone bag for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.

More recipes with mushrooms: Mushroom Pernil, Mushroom Oat Bran, Mushroom Lentil Loaf, Mushroom Bacon. 

Tried out this Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce recipe?

Please leave a comment below, share it, rate it, or tag a picture @plantbasedandbroke on Instagram and hashtag it #plantbasedandbroke. Show off that creation with us.

Recipe update: this recipe has been updated with better, tastier cooking instructions. With 8 servings. 

Bowl of meatless bolognese topped with chopped cilantro.
Pasta with vegetarian bolognese sauce topped with cilantro.

Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce (Made with Mushrooms)

Aly Michell
Craving spaghetti? Go for an easy Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce made with easy-to-find, affordable mushrooms. It’s packed with flavor and loaded with plant-based ingredients including bell pepper, onion, walnuts, and spices
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 8
Calories 179 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 16 ounces common mushroom washed, patted-dry, chopped by hand or in a food processor
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fennnel seeds
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 ½ cups pasta sauce
  • 1 cup mushroom broth or broth of choice
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup walnuts toasted, finely chopped - by hand or with a food processor)
  • Chopped cilantro or parsley to garnish
  • spaghetti for serving

Instructions
 

  • In a deep skillet, wok, or saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil. Once shimmering, add the onion, mushroom, bell pepper, and fennel seeds. Add a pinch of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add the crushed garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
  • Add tomato paste, pasta sauce, mushroom broth, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and walnuts. Mix well.
  • Bring to a boil. Then, cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for at least 15 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.
  • Serve with spaghetti and garnish with parsley.

Notes

  • To pan-toast walnuts: In a dry skillet or pan over medium heat, pan-toast the chopped walnuts until fragrant. Should only take 1 minute, or so. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • I reccommend using a food processor for the mushrooms and walnuts. It will make this dish 100% times easier and faster to make.

Nutrition

Serving: 1-Serving (sauce only)Calories: 179kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 6gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 517mgPotassium: 590mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 935IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @plantbasedandbroke on Instagram and show it off to us!
281 shares
Category: All, Dinner, Lunch, Spring

About Aly Michell

Over 10+ years of plant-based eating and cooking on a budget!

Previous Post:Chocolate chia seed pudding with slices almonds, chocolate chips, and raspberriesVegan Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
Next Post:Vegan “Chicken” Noodle Soup with Tofu Bowl of tofu noodle soup with vegetables and a slice of lemon.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenny

    May 29, 2021 at 2:41 am

    HI, Can I check, is Walnuts a must? does it add to the texture or can we omit or replace with another ingredient? Thanks

    Reply
    • Aly Michell

      May 31, 2021 at 6:12 pm

      Hello :)! The walnuts add some texture to the bolognese sauce, but you can omit them! Feel free to add a variety of mushroom types (shiitake, portobello), for a "meatier" texture.

      Reply
      • Lucy

        April 27, 2022 at 3:17 am

        Made this last weekend and then again only days later as it was soooooo good. Really tasty, flavourful and comforting.

        Reply
  2. Angelina Maria

    January 17, 2021 at 3:34 pm

    I just made this with extra garlic and blended it smooth for my picky kids. Sooo good!

    Reply
    • Aly Michell

      January 17, 2021 at 6:47 pm

      Hi Angelina! Thank you for trying out the recipe - happy to hear your kids loved it!

      Reply
  3. Aline

    July 08, 2019 at 8:53 am

    I love mushroom filled meatless recipes - this is a keeper!! Thanks girl! xx

    Reply
    • plantbasedandbroke

      July 08, 2019 at 10:31 am

      Same!!! Hope you love it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Calysta

    June 28, 2019 at 9:47 pm

    This looks like a hearty umami rich sauce that I can make and won’t miss the meat! Mmmmm!!

    Reply
  5. Eden | Sweet Tea and Thyme

    June 28, 2019 at 2:25 pm

    Never thought of meatless bolognese before! We love mushrooms, so we'll give this a try!

    Reply
  6. Jazz

    June 28, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    Wow--this looks so comforting. Especially for it to be meatless!

    Reply
  7. SHANIKA

    June 27, 2019 at 10:17 pm

    Now this Pasta looks absolutely delicious! I love how hearty it is even without meat!

    Reply
  8. Katrina Adams

    June 27, 2019 at 7:59 pm

    I will have to try this for meatless Monday!! Looks so good!!!

    Reply
  9. Tisha

    June 27, 2019 at 7:06 pm

    I've never had meatless bolognese, but this recipe looks perfect! I can't wait to try!

    Reply
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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Hi, My name is Aly Michell! I create plant-based recipes that are easy, accessible, using everyday cookware.

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