Hearty vegan bolognese sauce made with tofu, walnuts, mushrooms and lentils for a super satisfying, high protein and deliciously textured bolognese.
This vegan bolognese is so tasty!
It is a mix of walnuts, mushrooms, lentils and tofu with tomato and spices. Served with some spaghetti it is the most delicious vegan spaghetti bolognese you’ve ever had!
It’s also really easy. We wanted it to be really hearty and filling, and it is. It’s also really thick and ‘meaty’. Yes, I went there. It’s ‘meaty’ without being actually meaty.
Mushrooms are known for their ‘meaty’ texture and the mushrooms combined with the tofu and the walnuts really create that great bolognese texture. Lentils is really just a bonus! They add extra protein and fiber too.
And if you love a good bolognese then also check out our lentil bolognese, it’s also so good!
How to make vegan bolognese
It’s really so easy to make this bolognese! You start off by mashing some tofu with a fork and then adding the tofu to a mixing bowl.
Then you place some walnuts into the food processor and process until finely chopped and then add them to the mixing bowl with the tofu.
Now add some sliced mushrooms to the food processor and process until they’re finely chopped and add them to the mixing bowl.
Drain a can of lentils and add them to the mixing bowl.
Then mix up the tofu, walnuts, mushrooms and lentils together in your mixing bowl.
Now add some chopped onion and olive oil to a frying pan and sautƩ until the onions are softened.
Add in the tofu/walnut/mushroom/lentil mix along with some crushed garlic, dried basil, oregano, cayenne pepper and dark soy sauce and stir fry for a couple of minutes letting the bolognese cook off some of the water, so it’s not too wet.
Then add in some tomato paste and crushed tomatoes and keep frying for a few minutes until you reach a good consistency.
Lastly stir in some coconut sugar (for flavor balance) and add salt and pepper to taste. And there you have it! Delicious bolognese sauce!
Pro Tips For the Best Vegan Bolognese Sauce
Top tips for this vegan bolognese are to fry the walnut/mushroom/tofu/lentil mix until it’s no longer wet before you add in the tomato paste and canned tomato.
If you prefer your bolognese sauce to be more ‘saucy’ then add more canned tomato than what we used in this recipe. We actually used a can of crushed tomatoes, but a can of chopped tomato will also work just fine.
Served with a little grated vegan parmesan cheese and some fresh basil, you’ll be quite a happy chappy with this for dinner.
We found a brand of vegan parmesan cheese from Violife that we used here that was very tasty, but you can of course also make your own vegan parmesan cheese!
Want to make it gluten-free?
This vegan bolognese sauce is gluten-free if you use a gluten-free soy sauce (or sub for tamari) so if you’re gluten-free then serve it with gluten-free spaghetti and you’ll be golden.
How To Store Vegan Bolognese
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed over the next 4-5 days.
More delicious vegan pastas and sauces
- Vegan Alfredo
- Vegan Pesto
- Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Vegan Pasta Bake
- Vegan Lasagna Recipe
- Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
- Vegan Carbonara
- Vegan Vodka Sauce
Vegan Bolognese
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6
Description
Hearty vegan bolognese sauce made with tofu, walnuts, mushrooms and lentils for a super satisfying, high protein and deliciously textured bolognese.
Ingredients
- 1 8oz (~220g) Block Extra Firm Tofu
- 1 cup (100g) Walnuts (Finely Chopped)
- 18oz (500g) Brown Mushrooms (Portobellini)
- 1 15oz (425g) Can Brown Lentils (Drained)
- 1 Onion (Chopped)
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce*
- 1/2 cup (130g) Tomato Paste
- 1 14oz (400ml) Can Crushed Tomato*
- 1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mash the tofu with a fork and add to a mixing bowl.
- Place the walnuts into the food processor and process until finely chopped and then add to the mixing bowl with the tofu.
- Add the mushrooms to the food processor and process until finely chopped and add to the mixing bowl.
- Add the drained lentils to the mixing bowl.
- Mix up the tofu, walnuts, mushrooms and lentils together.
- Add the chopped onion and olive oil to a frying pan and sautƩ until the onions are softened.
- Then add in your tofu/walnut/mushroom/lentil mix along with crushed garlic, dried basil, oregano, cayenne pepper and dark soy sauce and stir fry for a couple of minutes letting the bolognese cook off some of the water, so it’s not too wet.
- Then add in the tomato paste and crushed tomatoes and keep frying for a few minutes until you reach a good consistency.
- Stir in the coconut sugar and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over spaghetti and top with fresh basil and vegan parmesan cheese.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and reheated the next day.
Notes
*Crushed tomatoes can be switched for canned chopped tomatoes.
*Use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari to make this bolognese sauce entirely gluten-free.
*Nutritional information is for bolognese only and does not include spaghetti.
- Category: Entree, Dinner, Savory, Gluten-Free
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serve (of 6)
- Calories: 399
- Sugar: 11.4g
- Sodium: 430mg
- Fat: 16.2g
- Saturated Fat: 1.9g
- Carbohydrates: 46.8g
- Fiber: 8.7g
- Protein: 21.8g
Keywords: vegan bolognese
Hey Allison! I love your recipes, so Iām still giving this 5 stars though I havenāt even tried it yet lol:) What can I replace the tofu with if I donāt eat soy?
★★★★★
Thanks Casey! I’m not sure of a good sub, someone else in the comments suggested cauliflower! I haven’t tried it but maybe it would work! I would chop it up super fine. š
Hello, if I donāt have walnuts, is there another nut I could use?
You could try a different nut like almonds.
Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious š I love the texture. Thank you š
Hi Alison, Iām about to start cooking this recipe and wondering if lentil can be replaced with black beans?
Thank you.
Violetta
Hi Violetta, yes I think that would work!
Hello Alison! I love this recipe! I usually add a cinnamon stick while preparing the sauce. Acquires a fantastic taste!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for the tip Albena! š
Fantastic! I made it last night for dinner and thankfully I had doubled the recipe “just in case we really liked it”, lol. It’s a good thing I did! Thank you for the great recipe….it’s delicious!!
So happy to hear that Dawne! Thanks for sharing!
My first attempt resulted in failure, i used chestnut ( brown) mushrooms snd they were overpowering the whole dish. Will try white mushrooms next time. It had amazing texture, but I didnt like the strong mushroomy taste. ( my fussy 5 year old enjoyed it though) š
This recipe looks great! We’re currently overloaded with regular white mushrooms…. could I use these instead of porterbellini?
Thanks for all of your fabulous recipes, I’ve made so many!
Yes white mushrooms will work perfectly as well! All the best! š
Thank you! I made this the other night with the white mushrooms. Had to modify as I went along as I accidentally used double the amount of tofu (so added extra chopped tomatoes)!! Turned out lovely though š Thank you!
Awesome! So glad it worked out well. š
My family loved this recipe, hoping to convert them all one day. It’s such a better way of eating healthy foods.
Love, love this recipe
★★★★★
Thanks so much Deb! š
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it this evening and my carnivore husband even liked it! Will definitely keep this in my regular recipes! š
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks Miranda! š