The easiest vegan bologense packed with veggies! It’s soy free, nut free, gluten free, and, of course, dairy free!
I cannot get over how well this turned out. I’ve been trying to perfect this sauce for a couple of weeks now, with some minor tweaks here and there, and it’s finally red for you all! After 5 or 6 recipe fails in the past week, I needed a win like this delish bolognese!
This sauce is absolutely to die for. Plus, it’s super nourishing and loaded with different veggies:
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Mushrooms
- Onion
- Tomatoes
So much goodness! And if you’re like my husband and scared of mushrooms…I promise you won’t even know they are in there 😉
The sauce has a meat-like consistency and so much flavor. I paired it with a chickpea pasta for a protein source, making this a really well-rounded meal. You could also serve this up with a big simple salad for some bonus nutrition points!
You’ll just want to make sure your veggies are very finely diced. Yes, this will take a few extra minutes- but I promise it’s worth it! For the mushrooms, you can use a big knife and really roughly chop them without much rhyme or reason and still get the perfect little bite-sized pieces.
For the marinara sauce, be sure to read those ingredients! I like to use one that uses olive oil as the oil source, and one without any added sugars (so unnecessary!).
I truly can’t wait to see you guys remake this one! I know you’re going to love it. Be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see your meals, and please leave a rating and comment below if you get a chance to make this one 🙂 It means so much!
Enjoy! xx
Super Simple Vegan Cauliflower Bolognese
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
Description
Super simple vegan bolognese. Made with cauliflower rice, mushrooms, and carrots for a veggie-packed take on the classic sauce!
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large carrots, finely diced
- 1/4 of a yellow onion, finely diced
- 3–4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 (12 oz) bag of frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 (8 oz) container of baby bella mushrooms, very finely diced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
- 1 (25 oz) jar of marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth (up to 1/2 cup more, if needed)
Instructions
- Prepare all of the veggies. You want to make sure they are diced into small pieces, to roughly resemble the texture of ground meat.
- Heat a large heavy bottom dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, then stir in the carrot, onion, and garlic. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cauliflower and mushrooms (it’s ok if the cauliflower is still frozen). Season with the Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir, breaking up the cauliflower if needed. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Pour in marinara, crushed tomatoes, and veggie broth. Allow to gently simmer until sauce has thickened and veggie are soft, about 25-30 minutes. If you find you need more liquid, add up to 1/2 cup extra veggie broth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings; serve with your favorite pasta!
Notes
This makes enough sauce for roughly a 12 oz box of pasta, depending how much sauce you use per serving.
Sarah
Wow this sauce is so good!! Packed with veggies, and such a comfort food. I used my food processor to mince the veggies really quickly. I also added a splash of red wine, because I had an open bottle on my counter. Will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Yes! The food processor is a life saver haha! I like where your head is at- absolutely love cooking with wine. So happy you loved this one Sarah!
Laura
So delish! Loved that my toddler ate the whole thing and it was packed with veggies and he had no idea 🙂
★★★★★
Ursula
This recipe was fantastic as it was packed with flavor and healthy ingredients. I shared this recipe with two friends immediately after eating it as I knew they’d appreciate it being meatless. This was well worth the time I spent finely dicing the veggies 🙂
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
This is soo great to hear!! Thank you so much Ursula, so glad you and your friends enjoyed it 🙂
emily
This tastes exactly like my grandmas homemade meat sauce!!! But better and filled with amazing ingredients!! Seriously recommend to all!
Mia Zarlengo
No way!! What a compliment- thank you so much Emily!
Lily Sullivan
Soo good!! Loved it
Megan
SO GOOD! Will definitely make again!
★★★★★
Maggie
This was UNREAL! So delicious and healthy.
Easy recipe that I feel like I can make a weekly staple!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Thank you so much Maggie! 🙂
Mary Sobie
Lovely recipe! Everyone from toddlers to adults loved it! I added chopped carrots, and a yellow pepper to the veggies and red wine about 15 minutes before serving, Super authentic. yummy!
★★★★★
Emily
Do you know the nutritional info for this recipe?
Mia Zarlengo
Sorry I don’t count calories or anything!
Jim
Mia, my daughter made this recipe for herself and family first and liked it so much that she told me to make it. I did and wow, it Is great.!
I enjoyed making it and more so eating it. Mmmm, Question, can you send the Nutrition information? I am using a health / nutrition tracking app, and I would like to enter the nutritional numbers when I eat this awesome dish. Thank you! Jim
★★★★★
Erin
This was SO GOOD! super flavorful, hearty and easy! Even my carnivore husband who doesn’t “like” mushrooms and cauliflower liked it!
★★★★★