Name: Vegan Spaghetti Bolognese (with ragù)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 1 cauliflower (small); 300 oz ofbutton mushrooms; 120 oz ofhazelnuts; 10 fl oz ofolive oil; 130 oz ofdouble-concentrated tomato paste (either a tube, or three times that amount of tomato sauce); 2 branches ofcelery; 1 onion; 1 tbsp ofMiso; 6 fl oz ofbalsamic vinegar; 50 cup ofwater (If you use tomato sauce instead of double concentrate, you can reduce the amount to 10 cl); 1 teaspoon ofpaprika; 1 teaspoon ofherbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano—whatever you like and whatever you have on hand!); 2 leaves ofbay leaf; blender; vegetable brush

main courses side dishes baking mushrooms pasta and rice prepared in advance slow cooking

Updated on 17 January 2025 by

doubichou

10 reviews 4.3 : Very good

Cuisine

Italy

Level

Easy

Preparation

20 minutes

Cooking

1 hour

I discovered this recipe for vegan spaghetti Bolognese (or "al ragù," as Italians call it) on Maya’s popular Instagram account, Fit Green Mind, which features many vegan recipes.

The sauce you’ll prepare in this recipe is flavorful and rivals meat in every way. This plant-based Bolognese is made with cauliflower, mushrooms, and hazelnuts, which give it a hearty, rich texture.

This sauce pairs perfectly with a plate of spaghetti, tagliatelle, or other pasta. The result is a complete, satisfying meal—all without animal protein!

In my version of the recipe, I’ve adjusted a few proportions and included some practical tips to make the sauce even more appetizing.

To make your life easier, you can prepare the sauce ahead of time; it will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Enjoy, and thank you in advance for your feedback 🙏

For

people

Add to shopping list

For the vegetable stir-fry
1 cauliflower small
10.6 oz of button mushrooms
4.2 oz of hazelnuts
3.4 fl oz of olive oil

For the tomato sofrito
4.6 oz of double-concentrated tomato paste either a tube, or three times that amount of tomato sauce
2 branches of celery
1 onion
1 tbsp of Miso

For the final stew
2 ¾ fl oz of balsamic vinegar
2.1 cup of water If you use tomato sauce instead of double concentrate, you can reduce the amount to 10 cl
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of herbs thyme, rosemary, oregano—whatever you like and whatever you have on hand!
2 leaves of bay leaf

Kitchen utensils
blender
vegetable brush

Preparing the vegetable mince
- 1
  Remove the leaves and the core from the cauliflower. Separate the florets, brush them clean, then rinse and set them aside in a bowl.
- 2
  Trim the dirty stems off the mushrooms. Brush them lightly and rinse them quickly. Set them aside in the salad bowl.
- 3
  Chop the cauliflower, mushrooms, and hazelnuts.
  My tip: Don’t try to chop everything all at once. Place some of the ingredients in the food processor bowl—without filling it to the brim or packing them down—and don’t chop for too long. This way, your vegetable mixture will retain a chunky texture with small pieces rather than turning into a “paste,” which, in my humble opinion, is less appetizing. In the attached photo, I had already overfilled it!
- 4
  Once all the ingredients are chopped in the mixing bowl, add the oil, season with salt, and mix well.
  Spread the mixture evenly in a baking dish.
- 5
  Bake in the oven at 200°C for 30 minutes.
  Halfway through baking, remove the dish from the oven and stir again.
Making the tomato sauce
- 6
  Rinse and trim the celery stalk. Peel the onion and remove the core, if present. Finely
  chop.
- 7
  In a sauté pan or Dutch oven, sauté the onion and celery with the miso in a little oil for two minutes.
  Add the tomato paste and miso, and cook for another two minutes, then deglaze with the balsamic vinegar.
- 8
  Next, add the vegetable mince and the water.
  Season with salt and pepper, then add the paprika, herbs, and bay leaf.
- 9
  Stir a few times, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.