Simple Vegetarian Bolognese

This vegetarian bolognese is a masterclass in simplicity, made with just eight ingredients, it’s a beautiful reminder that even with the fewest elements, you can create something truly special. Free of onions and garlic, this simple vegetarian bolognese is ideal for those with food sensitivities. The finely diced, tender vegetables bring a rich depth to the sauce that replaces the typical meat or meat substitutes in a traditional bolognese. With aromatic herbs and olive oil, the dish has a smooth, well-balanced flavor that’s both fresh and hearty. Perfect for anyone craving a wholesome, plant-based comfort meal, it’s a cozy, satisfying bowl of goodness that proves less really can be more.

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well."

– Virginia Woolf

All About ThiS vegetarian bolognese

Flavor: I consider this recipe my comfort, winter fixation meal for a reason. With fresh tomatoes, carrots, celery, aromatic herbs and olive oil, the dish has a smooth, well-balanced flavor that’s both fresh and hearty. Perfect for cold, cozy nights.
Texture: As someone who prefers to eat vegetarian, but doesn’t love the texture of meat substitutes, the texture of the finely diced carrots and celery cooked into the tomatoes is just chef’s kiss. I love how we aren’t trying to make a mock of meat in this recipe, it’s a vibe all its own.
Ease: This recipe is beyond easy to make. There are a few basic kitchen tools like a good knife and dutch oven that help with the ease of the recipe. While it may seem a bit more challenging to make a homemade sauce, a beginner can easily master this recipe by following my detailed instructions below

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What can I use instead of meat in bolognese?

While there are several options, depending on your tastes, here we use carrots and celery, dicing them finely so that they incorporate beautifully into the sauce.

2. how do you make vegetarian bolognese taste meaty?

For me, it’s a balance of olive oil and spices that help replace the meaty flavor in a vegetarian bolognese. Specifically, salt and oregano. I find that if the sauce feels like it’s lacking in flavor it can usually be corrected with extra salt and oregano.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

To make this vegetarian bolognese, you will need the following ingredients. See the full recipe card below for detailed amounts and instructions.

Celery – Fresh, finely diced. I’m talking a fine dice so you get a good distribution through each bite. Reference the photos above and below!
Carrots – Fresh, finely diced. I’m talking a fine dice so you get a good distribution through each bite. Reference the photos above and below!
Tomatoes – I strongly prefer using fresh Roma tomatoes for this recipe, cooking them down in a dutch oven with the other ingredients. You can use canned whole peeled tomatoes if you prefer, but I do think it makes a significant difference in the sauce using fresh versus canned. A little lazy girl hack: I don’t even bother to peel my fresh tomatoes before cooking them anymore, I just quarter them and cook them down as is, running a fork through the sauce at the end to remove any large peels that didn’t dissolve along the way. I find it much more efficient.
Olive oil – It makes such a luxurious sauce.
Basil – Fresh is the way to go here. You want it to pack a flavor punch that dried basil never can.
Oregano – On the other hand, I prefer my oregano dried. Not sure the science behind this or if it’s just a preference thing, but I like using dried for this recipe.
Sea salt – I think we all know, sea salt just hits different. I say use liberally for this one!
Paccheri – We love this type of pasta. It’s bold and hearty and holds the sauce beautifully with each bite.

How to Make this vegetarian bolognese

To make this vegetarian bolognese, simply:

Saute: In a medium to large dutch oven, saute finely diced carrots and finely diced carrots with a drizzle of olive oil over medium to high heat.
Add the tomatoes: Once carrots and celery are becoming tender (about 5 minutes), add the quartered Roma tomatoes and the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Give it a good stir, then cover on medium heat for about 15 minutes.
Spice the sauce: Remove the lid on your tomatoes, carrot, and celery mixture, stirring and pressing down on any remaining tomato chunks so they incorporate into the sauce. Add in the basil, oregano, and sea salt, stirring once again to disperse the spices into the sauce. If your tomatoes look to have cooked down with no chunks remaining, leave the lid off and cook sauce for another 10 to 20 minutes on medium heat for the spices to marry. If you’re still seeing larger pieces of tomatoes, cover with the lid on medium heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, then remove lid for another 10 minutes.
Cook the Paccheri: Cook the pasta according to package instructions. At this point, check to see if your sauce needs any extra liquid, if it does, add some of the pasta water a tablespoon at a time until you’ve reached your desired sauce consistency.
Adjust your spices: Do a taste test of your sauce and adjust your spices accordingly. I will typically add a dash more salt and oregano, depending on how the tomatoes cooked up.
Serve: In a large serving bowl, pour sauce over the Paccheri noodles and toss until evenly coated. Top with extra basil, a sprinkle of sea salt, or desired cheeses and serve.

NOTES

We all like our pasta sauce according to our own tastes, so I’ve purposely left the spice measurements fairly light handed in order for you to adjust to your liking. I typically go hard on the oregano and sea salt, but to each their own! Be sure to do a few taste tests along the way and spice accordingly.

TIPS & Variations

Try adding 1/4 cup of black lentils if you like a meaty texture.
If you’re a fan of meat substitutes, you could always use this recipe as a base, adding that into the mix.
Mix up the type of pasta. I would opt for a heftier pasta like rigatoni, bucatini, or tagliatelle.

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Time: 15 MINS

Yield: 18 large cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups celery, finely diced
1 cup carrots, finely diced
5 Roma tomatoes (or 28 ounces)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons sea salt
13 ounces Paccheri pasta

Instructions

Saute: In a medium to large dutch oven, saute finely diced carrots and finely diced carrots with a drizzle of olive oil over medium to high heat.

Add the tomatoes: Once carrots and celery are becoming tender (about 5 minutes), add the quartered Roma tomatoes and the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Give it a good stir, then cover on medium heat for about 15 minutes.

Spice the sauce: Remove the lid on your tomatoes, carrot, and celery mixture, stirring and pressing down on any remaining tomato chunks so they incorporate into the sauce. Add in the basil, oregano, and sea salt, stirring once again to disperse the spices into the sauce. If your tomatoes look to have cooked down with no chunks remaining, leave the lid off and cook sauce for another 10 to 20 minutes on medium heat for the spices to marry. If you’re still seeing larger pieces of tomatoes, cover with the lid on medium heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, then remove lid for another 10 minutes.

Cook the Paccheri: Cook the pasta according to package instructions. At this point, check to see if your sauce needs any extra liquid, if it does, add some of the pasta water a tablespoon at a time until you’ve reached your desired sauce consistency.

Adjust your spices: Do a taste test of your sauce and adjust your spices accordingly. I will typically add a dash more salt and oregano, depending on how the tomatoes cooked up.

Serve: In a large serving bowl, pour sauce over the Paccheri noodles and toss until evenly coated. Top with extra basil, a sprinkle of sea salt, or desired cheeses and serve.

NOTES