Vegetarian Bolognese

Name: Vegetarian Bolognese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil or another cooking oil; 1 medium onion finely chopped; 2 carrots very finely chopped; 2 celery sticks very finely chopped; 1 garlic clove crushed; 350g frozen vegetarian mince; 1 bay leaf; 500ml passata; 1 vegetable stock cube; 100ml milk; small bunch basil chopped; 600g cooked spaghetti or other pasta shape (about 250g dried); vegetarian hard cheese to serve, optional

4.55 (81)

⏱ 70 mins 🍽 Serves 4 🌶 italian ✅ Easy 🏷 Main course

This vegetarian bolognese is a lighter take on the classic Italian pasta sauce, using frozen vegetarian mince for a satisfying texture. The sauce simmers with a soffritto of onion, carrot and celery, along with passata and a bay leaf, before being enriched with a splash of milk and fresh basil. It's a simple, family friendly main course that's ideal for batch cooking and freezing. Serve it over spaghetti with a grating of vegetarian hard cheese if desired.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil or another cooking oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 carrots very finely chopped
2 celery sticks very finely chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
350g frozen vegetarian mince
1 bay leaf
500ml passata
1 vegetable stock cube
100ml milk
small bunch basil chopped
600g cooked spaghetti or other pasta shape (about 250g dried)
vegetarian hard cheese to serve, optional

Method

Warm the oil in a saucepan and gently cook the chopped onion, carrots and celery until the onion begins to soften. Mix in the crushed garlic and the frozen vegetarian mince, then cook for a couple of mins. Put in the bay leaf, passata, crumbled vegetable stock cube and 200ml water, then bring the mixture to the boil.
Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for 30 mins, or until the vegetables are tender and blending into the tomato base. Pour in the milk, cover the pan and cook for 10 mins. Season as required. Should the sauce seem too thin, continue cooking until it reaches your preferred consistency. Fold through the chopped basil. Serve alongside the cooked spaghetti, topping with grated vegetarian hard cheese if using. The sauce can be portioned and frozen for later reheating.