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Super Simple Vegan Cauliflower Bolognese

January 29, 2020 by Mia Zarlengo 15 Comments

pasta shells with vegan bolognese sauce in a pot with a wooden spoon

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 😉

pasta shells with vegan bolognese sauce in a pot with a wooden spoon
pasta shells with vegan bolognese sauce in a pot

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

pasta shells with vegan bolognese sauce in a pot with a wooden spoon
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Super Simple Vegan Cauliflower Bolognese

★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews
  • Author: Mia Zarlengo
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 35 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
  • Category: Lunch, Dinner
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Description

Super simple vegan bolognese. Made with cauliflower rice, mushrooms, and carrots for a veggie-packed take on the classic sauce!


Scale

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

  1. Prepare all of the veggies. You want to make sure they are diced into small pieces, to roughly resemble the texture of ground meat. 
  2. 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. 
  3. 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.
  4. 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. 
  5. 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. 

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Filed Under: Lunch + Dinner, Recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah

    February 5, 2020 at 12:59 am

    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.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      February 5, 2020 at 9:24 pm

      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!

      Reply
  2. Laura

    February 14, 2020 at 1:21 am

    So delish! Loved that my toddler ate the whole thing and it was packed with veggies and he had no idea 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Ursula

    February 15, 2020 at 3:10 am

    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 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      February 18, 2020 at 1:24 pm

      This is soo great to hear!! Thank you so much Ursula, so glad you and your friends enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
  4. emily

    February 18, 2020 at 4:34 pm

    This tastes exactly like my grandmas homemade meat sauce!!! But better and filled with amazing ingredients!! Seriously recommend to all!

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      February 19, 2020 at 1:57 pm

      No way!! What a compliment- thank you so much Emily!

      Reply
  5. Lily Sullivan

    February 21, 2020 at 1:33 am

    Soo good!! Loved it

    Reply
  6. Megan

    February 24, 2020 at 3:00 pm

    SO GOOD! Will definitely make again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Maggie

    February 27, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    This was UNREAL! So delicious and healthy.
    Easy recipe that I feel like I can make a weekly staple!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      March 4, 2020 at 4:41 pm

      Thank you so much Maggie! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Mary Sobie

    April 18, 2020 at 3:36 pm

    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!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. Emily

    April 29, 2020 at 4:41 pm

    Do you know the nutritional info for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Mia Zarlengo

      April 30, 2020 at 1:11 am

      Sorry I don’t count calories or anything!

      Reply
  10. Jim

    May 17, 2020 at 3:52 am

    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

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Welcome! I am so happy you chose to gather around my table. My name is Mia Zarlengo, and I am a registered dietitian with a passion for simple healthy recipes, women's hormonal health, and overall wellness! Read More…

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