Pasta with Vegan Bolognese Sauce

The meaty tomato-based sauce in classic pasta Bolognese is so easy make vegan using your favorite plant-based ground or homemade crumbles made with whole foods. Simple and hearty, pasta with vegan Bolognese sauce makes a great weeknight meal served with a colorful salad.

Another characteristic ingredients of the Bolognese sauce is heavy cream, which is easily replaced here with any kind of nondairy milk or creamer. In all, a satisfying plant-based version of an Italian classic that’s easy on the heart and wallet.

PLANT-BASED BEEFY GROUND OPTIONS

With so many vegan ground meat alternatives on the market, there’s absolutely no reason to use the animal product. Switching to plant based is one of the single best ways to reduce your environmental footprint. And it’s kinder to animals and your heart. You have lots of choices! Here are some:

• Beyond Meat Beyond Beef Crumbles
• Gardein Ultimate Beefless Ground
• Lightlife Smart Ground
• Trader Joe’s Beef-less Ground
• Or you can make your own vegan ground from whole foods, too. Walnut & Mushroom Beefy Vegan Crumbles or Italian-Flavored Vegan Beef-less Ground are two options that works well in this recipe.

Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.

Explore more …

• Vegan “Beefy” Pasta Skillet
• Vegan Pasta Carbonara with Broccoli
• 25+ Awesome Vegan Recipes Using Plant-Based Ground
• Vegan Italian Recipes

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Yield: 6

Pasta with Vegan Bolognese Sauce

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In classic pasta Bolognese, the meaty tomato-based sauce is so easy to convert to vegan using your favorite plant-based ground or homemade crumbles made with whole foods.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 large celery stalk, finely diced
• 10 to 12 ounces plant-based ground (see a few brands above recipes box) or homemade vegan ground (see links in Notes)
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1/4 cup unsweetened plant-based milk or creamer
• 12 to 16 ounces short, chunky pasta
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Thinly sliced basil leaves or chopped parsley for topping, optional
• Vegan Parmesan (see Notes) or finely grated vegan cheese, optional

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. 
2. Add the garlic, bell pepper, celery, and plant-based ground. Continue to sauté until the mixture is touched with golden brown here and there, stirring often. 
3. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato sauce, seasoning, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the crumbles are tender and infused with the tomato-y flavors. Stir in the plant-based milk or creamer.
4. About halfway into the cooking time for the sauce, cook the pasta in plenty of rapidly simmering water until al dente, then drain.
5. When both the pasta and sauce are done, combine them in a large serving bowl and toss together. 
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at once, passing around the basil and/or vegan Parmesan if desired.

Notes

Walnut & Mushroom Beefy Vegan Crumbles or Italian-Flavored Vegan Beef-less Ground are two options that works well in this recipe.

Use a store-bought vegan Parmesan or hard vegan cheese; or, make your own! Simply combine 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1/2 cup almond flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small container and mix completely.

See more pasta & noodle dishes and ways to veganize classic recipes.