Vegetarian bolognese
Prep
10 mins
Cook
1 hr
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
This vegetarian bolognese has become my go to weeknight dinner because it's genuinely foolproof and comes together in just over an hour. Using frozen vegetarian mince makes it so convenient and budget friendly, with no chopping meat required. I love how the soffritto of onions, carrots, and celery builds such a rich, savory base, and the passata creates that authentic bolognese depth without any fuss. Carrots are packed with beta carotene which is great for your eyes and immunity, so you're getting nutrition alongside pure comfort. A splash of milk at the end is my secret for mellowing everything out beautifully. Serve it over your favorite pasta with a generous handful of fresh basil and some grated cheese, and you've got a meal that feels like you spent all afternoon cooking.
Ella x
Ingredients
- 2 tbspolive oil or another cooking oil
- 1 mediumonion finely chopped
- 12 carrots very finely chopped
- 12 celery sticks very finely chopped
- 11 garlic clove crushed
- 350 gfrozen vegetarian mince
- 11 bay leaf
- 500 mlpassata
- 11 vegetable stock cube
- 100 mlmilk
- 1 smallbunch basil chopped
- 600 gcooked spaghetti or other pasta shape(about 250g dried)
- 1vegetarian hard cheese to serve(optional)
Detail level
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion, carrots and celery until the onion is starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and the vegetarian mince (there’s no need to defrost it) and fry for a couple of mins. Add the bay leaf, passata, vegetable stock cube and 200ml water, then bring everything to the boil.
- 2
Turn down the heat and simmer for 30 mins or until all the pieces of veg are tender and disappearing into the tomato sauce. Add the milk, then cover with a lid and cook for 10 mins. Season to taste. If the sauce is a bit thin, keep bubbling until it thickens. Stir through the basil. Serve with the spaghetti and grate the cheese over the top, if you like. Can be frozen into portions and reheated.
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