The only vegan spag bol recipe you’ll ever need

Spaghetti bolognese is one of those universal faves that people often think they have to give up when they give up meat. But guess what? You don’t have to make it with lentils to enjoy it cruelty-free.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. One thing I know for sure about myself is that I am a kick-ass cook.

From GIPHY.

I know my way around most kitchen appliances, ingredients, and techniques.

But another thing I know about myself is that my Spaghetti Bolognese game is absolute rubbish. Or at least it was until I fluked my way to greatness.

Gone are the days of adding too much wine.

Or not enough tomatoes.

Or not letting it stew long enough.

Or reducing it too much so it takes on an almost oatmeal-like texture.

And when you add veganizing the famous dish to the equation, the margin for error becomes much, much larger. Scarier. The ingredients change, and so do the techniques.

But when it comes to making vegan versions of comfort food, sometimes the best solution is the simplest.

Here’s how I did it:

You will need some ingredients.

• Fresh, minced garlic (I’m a garlic girlie, so I used lots. But you do you!)
• One (1) white onion
• One (1) large carrot
• One (1) to three (3) ribs of celery
• One (1) pack of Beyond Meat (or vegan ground of choice)
• One-third (⅓) pack vegan sausage (I used Lightlife Gimme Lean, but you could also use another vegan sausage variety and crumble it up)
• Two (2) rashers vegan bacon (I like Lightlife)
• One (1) fresh plum tomato
• One (1) to three (3) tbsp tomato paste
• One (1) cup of your favorite tomato sauce (I used some leftover arrabbiata)
• One (1) 28 oz. tin of whole tomatoes (I like to splash out on nice San Marzanos)
• One-third (⅓) cup of Italian red wine (I like Sangiovese)
• One (1) tbsp of basil at least (I used way more, but I like basil)
• A couple of bay leaves
• LOTS of good quality olive oil (you might be afraid of the oil, but don’t be — it will be your key to success)
• Salt, pepper, and vegan parmesan to taste

Once you have gathered your ingredients, you need to follow these steps.

1. Mince/ chop the garlic, onion, carrot, and celery extremely small. I use a food processor for this step because I like my aromatics to melt into the sauce. You’re looking for an almost paste-like texture.
2. Heat up enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your saucepan over medium heat.
3. Chop up the bacon and crumble the meats. Add them to your pan and cook until mostly brown and crispy. Don’t worry about bits burning to the bottom of the pan — you want this to happen.
4. Remove the meat from the pan and put on a plate with a paper towel to drain.
5. Add a little more oil, and then add your veggies. You’ll need to cook these for ages. They will break down, and the colours will appear to bleed together. Once you can’t really tell what’s garlic, onion, or celery anymore, you’re done.
6. Dice your fresh tomato and add it to the pan with your tomato paste. Cook through until it starts to smell quite sweet and/ or the veggies are starting to stick to the bottom of the pot.
7. In the meantime, dump your whole tomatoes into a bowl and crush them with clean hands. I like to sort of massage each individual tomato. Watch out, though — you might get some tomato juice in your eyes or on your clothes. You’re looking for smaller than bite-sized chunks.
8. Add your crushed tomatoes and a little water from rinsing out the can and bowl, as well as your tomato sauce, wine, herbs, and parm. Give it a stir, bring it up to a boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer for as long as you want. Pro tip: Pop a lid on if you’re simmering for longer than 30 minutes.
9. Don’t forget to taste your creation throughout, and adjust your seasonings as needed.
10. When you’re ready to serve, I recommend tossing your cooked pasta, some of the water the pasta cooked in, a little butter, more parm, and a couple of scoops of the sauce in a pan to coat the pasta with the sauce. Then I’d serve it with some more sauce on top, some fresh herbs. Maybe some garlic bread if you’re feeling naughty!

And when you’re done, you might be left with something like this:

Terrible food styling and photography by the author.

At this point, you might be like, “Steph, what is so special about this recipe?”

And I would say, “Not a lot.”

Other than that, it’s the best Spaghetti Bolognese I’ve made since I stopped eating meat nearly five years ago.

And now that I am officially a kindergarten-age vegan, I feel like I have to share this knowledge so all you baby vegans or vegan-curious folks can avoid the pitfalls and tribulations I had.

Like, lentils are great, but they don’t replace beef 1:1.

Sometimes, you need to use meat alternatives to achieve the flavours and textures you’re familiar with.

That’s important because it demonstrates that going vegan doesn’t have to involve ditching the food you love. You can eat the spag bol almost exactly as Mom used to make it.

Feel free to customize this however will tickle your pickle:

• Use any non-spaghetti noodle
• Add whatever veggies you want
• Use white wine instead of red
• Some people like to add cream to their sauce for richness — do that if you want!

So here’s your invitation to cut corners when they save you energy and result in dividends of enjoyment. Just try not to eat too much — vegans need sleep, too!

What are your favourite ways to veganize a dish? Have you ever tried vegan food? What’s holding you back? This inquiring mind would like to know.

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