Making a rich filling sauce without the meat can be tricky but this meat free bolognese does not disappoint. This vegetarian bolognese recipe has depth of flavor and a rich sauce that anyone will find filling. It is one of my favorite dishes to make when cooking for family or friends.

Main Ingredients in Vegetarian Bolognese

Pasta: The best pasta shape for this sauce is spaghetti noodles. You could easily use fettuccine or rigatoni as well.
Cauliflower: Chop up your cauliflower into really small pieces. Roasting the cauliflower with the spices will really add that depth of flavor.
Tomato Paste: I like using tomato paste because is has a very concentrated tomato flavor. You could also use crushed tomatoes or diced canned tomato. I would just add less water if using one of these canned tomatoes.
Lentils: This recipe uses red lentils to substitute the ground meat that is normally in a bolognese sauce. Red lentils cook super quick and it gives the vegetarian bolognese sauce some texture and protein.
Optional Ingredients: You can always add in more fresh veggies like red bell pepper or a handful of spinach. If you want a little spice, top the spaghetti sauce with red pepper flakes or black pepper.

What is in a meat free bolognese?

A traditional bolognese sauce is a rich and hearty meat sauce made with ground beef, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and red wine.

A great way to get that same flavor without the meat is to use the right mix of seasonings. There are many different types of vegetarian bolognese. In this recipe, there is a mixture of roasted cauliflower and lentils with a lot of seasonings. You can often find lentil only bolognese, but having the cauliflower mixed in really adds a nice texture.

For the sauce part of the bolognese, I use a tomato paste instead of tomato sauce. This give it a rich flavor. I use water from the pasta to thin out of the sauce to my desired consistency. It is a thick sauce but you can use the water to thin it out to your liking.

Why add lentils to your bolognese?

Lentils are a great source fo plant protein. Adding in some type of protein when making a meatless meal is always a good idea. In the recipe the lentils also act as a great texture mixed in with the sauce. It gives it that thick and chunky meaty texture you would typically get in a bolognese sauce recipe.

This recipe uses red lentils but you could also use green lentils or brown lentils. If using brown or green lentils you might want to cook them before adding them to the sauce, since these types of lentil take longer to cook than red.

a person holding a fork in a pile of pasta

Can you make this a vegan bolognese?

Yes! You can easily make this a vegan bolognese recipe. This delicious sauce recipe is vegan except for the parmesan cheese. Feel free to leave out the parmesan or use a vegan parmesan substitute such as nutritional yeast.

Can you make this a gluten free bolognese?

Yes, you can! The only thing with gluten in this recipe is the pasta. To make this healthy meal even healthier, you can easily be swapped out for a brown rice or chickpea pasta. You could even put this meatless bolognese sauce on top of spaghetti squash.

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