This ultra-versatile Vegan Bolognese Sauce recipe is perfect for either a busy weeknight dinner or a fancy special occasion meal. Either way, it’s sure to impress whoever you’re set to feed it to!

What is bolognese?

Let’s just get that right out of the way. Is it a spaghetti sauce? Is it a meat sauce? 

Traditionally, yes, it’s more than just a marinara sauce with herbs. It generally is chunky and meaty and often with a wine added into the sauce.

The thing is – I’m far far from traditional, and although I’m going to give you my take on a bolognese, it’s definitely going to veer a little bit off the path of what you’d call traditional.

When I very first began my vegan journey and I wanted to substitute ground beef in a recipe, I would just pick up a bag of soy crumbles from the freezer aisle, and while that was oh so convenient, it just wasn’t the healthiest of options.

Now I’ve found that I can easily replace the protein in sauces with mushrooms, lentils, beans, and quinoa. In this instance, we’re depending heavily on delicious mushrooms that cook down to perfection.

The green peppers also add a texture and bite to the sauce that you are sure to love.

Is bolognese sauce supposed to be thick?

Yes yes yes! That is one of the main characteristics of a bolognese sauce. My vegan bolognese is super chunky and thick – it sticks right to the noodles without making a messy puddle at the bottom of the your plate. You know what I’m talking about, and it’s not pretty! 

You do not have to worry about that with this sauce.

What does bolognese sauce taste like?

Vegan bolognese sauce is going to be a bit less tomato-y than your traditional spaghetti sauce because of all the added vegetables, spices, and extra yummies!

Oh and let’s talk about those yummies real quick because you definitely don’t want to skip them…

How do you sweeten bolognese sauce?

There are multiple ways to sweeten your sauce. A sweet wine. Sweet vegetables. Or you could use brown sugar like I do in my recipe. I love the flavor it adds. And then pair it with the richness of the butter and you have a delicious marriage of richness in your mouth.

So something this fancy… it must be difficult to make, right?

Oh girl, you know I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m all about gettin’ you killer vegan recipes on your dinner table in no time. The great thing about this one is you can let it simmer for 15 minutes if you’re short on time. Or you can let it go for a full hour if you aren’t crunched for time like I normally am. The longer it simmers, the more intwined the flavors will become. You will not be sorry!

Let me tell you just how easy it is to make vegan bolognese sauce.

1. In a large saucepan on medium heat, saute mushrooms and green pepper until cooked and liquids have been released from the mushrooms, about 10 minutes.
2. Once cooked through, add all remaining ingredients – vegetable bouillon cube, crushed tomatoes, butter, brown sugar, dried basil, dried oregano, tomato paste, garlic salt, and bay leaves. 
3. Cover and simmer for at least 15 minutes, and up to an hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
5. Serve over cooked pasta.

NOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BOLOGNESE, IT’S TIME TO SNAP A PIC AND LOAD IT ONTO INSTAGRAM (TAGGING ME OF COURSE @HAPPYFOODHOLLY) SO I CAN SHARE YOUR CREATION!