Vegan Bolognese
Turn down the lights, turn up the jazz, and pour yourself a(nother) glass of red wine. The vegan Bolognese is ready.
Vegan Bolognese
2 tbsp olive oil
*2 stalks celery, tiny dice
1 large yellow onion, tiny dice
2 large carrots, tiny dice
1 red bell pepper, tiny dice
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
*8 oz vegan beef (optional)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 cloves garlic
*1/2 cup dry red wine (optional)
2 cups vegetable stock
1 large can diced tomatoes
*2 tsp. white sugar
*1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
*1 tbsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
*1/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 box gluten-free spaghetti
Process
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, over a medium heat.
Add the veggies and the salt and pepper, and cook until the veggies are softened/translucent ~ 8 minutes.
Add the vegan beef, if using, and mix in. Cook for 5 minutes or until the beef has browned.
*Add the tomato paste and garlic, mixing in, and cook for 3ish minutes.
Add the wine, if using, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Let the wine cook until it has reduced ~5 minutes.
Add the vegetable broth slowly and give it a good stir.
Add the tomatoes and give it another stir.
Add the dried herbs and vegan Parmesan and stir yet again.
Bring the sauce to a low simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced.
*Prepare your pasta according to the box’s directions; strain when the noodles are al dente - but do not rinse!
Just before serving, turn the heat to low and add the fresh parsley. Stir and let it warm in the sauce for 5 minutes.
Pour some of the Bolognese into the pasta pot (or a serving bowl if you want to be fancy) and add the pasta. Gently mix to coat the noodles. Serve it into individual bowls and top with more sauce.
Notes
Tiny dice - I specify “tiny” diced vegetables, because I didn’t want big chunks of veggies in the sauce. I wanted it to be close to the texture of the original sauce, which is made with ground meat. So, tiny dice became a thing! I sliced the vegetables into thin strips, and then cut them into small squares.
Vegan beef - Using vegan beef in this recipe is totally optional. As I said above, Bolognese is traditionally a meat sauce, so I wanted to replicate that iron-y richness with fake beef. It was on-point, but this recipe would be just as bomb without it.
You could sub 8 oz. chopped brown mushrooms for the beef, since mushrooms are so “meaty” in texture.
Dry, red wine - Also optional, but since you’ve already got a bottle open to drink anyway….Using a dry red wine is best so that it doesn’t bring any extra flavors into the mix. A sweet wine would offset the savory richness of the sauce. You could use white wine, but it has its own variety of sauces to stand out in, so let’s let red wine have the spotlight here.
Sugar - Adding just a little bit of sugar to tomato-based sauces and soups is a snazzy trick to cut the tomatoes’ acidity and balance out the flavor. No more of that weird, tinny taste on the sides of your palate. I always start with 1 tsp. and add more if needed because it can easily take over and make tomato dishes too sweet.
Fresh vs. dried herbs - I had a bunch of fresh Italian parsley in my fridge, but it was the only fresh herb I had on-hand so I had to use dried herbs as well. You can use all fresh or all dried herbs for this and it’ll still be amazing, don’t worry yourself. Use as much dried parsley as you like to give the sauce that fresh (enough), green look.
Cooking garlic + tomato paste - Cooking garlic and tomato paste for a few minutes before adding everything else amplifies their flavor. But be mindful of your timing - garlic and tomato paste can burn and get bitter quickly at high heats.
Vegan Parmesan - Bolognese traditionally has a Parmesan cheese rind stewed in it for even more richness, so I added some vegan Parmesan cheese to replicate that effect. This mix from The Minimalist Baker is a good one, though being me, I added more salt and garlic than she originally suggests. The fake Parm. gave the sauce some extra depth, but it’s not absolutely necessary if you don't feel like making it separately (I feel you).
Not rinsing pasta - JUST DON’T. Stop doing this at all! I recently learned that rinsing pasta after straining rinses off all that good starchniess that helps the sauce stick. No more of those sad pastas where you’re left with a pool of sauce on the bottom of your plate.
With a room full of soft jazz, enough wine, and a stomach full of this fantastic Bolognese, it’ll be easier to pretend that you’re at your favorite hole-in-the-wall Italian joint instead of your apartment for the xxth night.